Deadly Pandora
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to Sidier's Mission. It was a matter of time before "Neo Gospel" and their collaborators got serious and, with the arrival of the summer, that's what they've done: a new campaign has begun and promises to be longer than the one a year ago. As if that weren't enough, a new powerful adversary is going to rise and challenge the Net Police's best. Rated M for lemon.
1. Chapter 1: Motorbikes & plots

**Deadly Pandora**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Motorbikes & plots**

09:49 AM (Honolulu Time), Monday June the 2nd, 2008…

"… So! Sapphire, my lad. Did you get "those"?"

"Yeah, Jade… And stop calling me "lad": it makes me look like a guy who isn't even 20 yet!"

"My bad."

An unidentified man was sitting in an armchair having green leather body and equally green cushions placed inside of an office room: only the back of the chair was visible and it had the Alphabet letter "J" drawn there in a purplish color.

The room included a marble desk having an open Toshiba laptop, some paper sheets with annotations and a granite ashtray having a cigar on it which was letting out smoke: it was still being used.

The room's walls were plain steel filled with satellite photos of several locations across the world which seemed to be military complexes: other photos included advanced-looking planes and helicopters plus docks having battle ships and submarines docked on them.

A plain steel door marked the entry and exit of the room.

The man was speaking with someone else through a cell-phone and sounded in a good mood: the sound of waves crashing on the shore and of seagulls could be heard on the background of the call.

"Ah! Whatever! I just can't take that word seriously enough!"

"So? When do we get them?"

"Huh? Ah. We should have them by Thursday."

"Good. The operation can be carried out next weekend. Heh, heh, heh."

"Sure, sure."

"Did Ruby and Emerald do a good job convincing the supplier?"

"Yeah. And since we left a fake name behind then they won't be able to trace them to us…"

"Good. I've assigned a total of 3 scouts in "Point Alpha" just to make sure they haven't noticed anything…"

"I still think it's a waste of time, Jade. Why would those guys let it out on public about any preparations or expectations…?"

"They're that type of guys… They will allow their frustration to rise and voice it aloud…"

"Fine. If you say so… I'm glad you finally decided to rename that guy of the "Admin" batch… Marble sounded lame as a codename."

"Heh, heh, heh. I know. Platinum's better."

"Whatever. We'll get there before Wednesday. See ya."

"OK. _Good luck_."

The man, Jade, ended the call and left the cell-phone on the table before picking the cigar and kept on smoking a bit more of it: a small fan in the ceiling dumped out the smoke.

"Heh, heh, heh."

A buzzer rang out so he checked the laptop: a pop-up with the message "VISITOR INCOMING" had shown up along with the buttons "DENY" and "ALLOW": he pressed the second and the door unlocked.

"Good morning, Mr. Jade."

"Ah! Doctor."

"Dr. Yoru Yami, yeah… So! We got the stuff?"

"Yes. We go there on Saturday."

"Excellent!"

The newcomer, Dr. Yoru Yami, was a man about a meter and eighty tall who looked on his mid 20s.

His hair was blond and neatly combed yet his eyes' irises were blood red: he had a smug smile on his face.

He simply wore a black suit, a black necktie, a white shirt, black pants and brown shoes: he looked like your everyday salary-man.

"IQ – sama will soon rise to power again!" The newcomer sneered.

"By the way! Is that "show" of yours progressing?"

"Heh! My five agents keep on going for organized hits there and there: four of them organize some big ruckus while one of them heads to the real target taking profit of the others being distracted battling the group of four… Heh, heh, heh!" Dr. Yoru Yami described.

"Yes. But I meant…" Jade interjected.

"Ah! My bad, _Danna_, my bad… Yeah. The lil show which will keep them busy on the days to come is 90% ready. I'm just pending some final touches but that'll be all."

"Excellent."

"Isn't it? What do the scouts report?"

"Well. Our targets are busy enough and no surprise seeing the time of the year it is… The general air is filled with tension and some increasing annoyance at your field tactics, Doctor." Jade reported.

"Heh! That treacherous venomous worm must be about to boil out his damned brains by now. It's been almost 10 months since your initials surfaced but they haven't got a single clue! They've searched the underground across the world in vain!"

"True. I'm too smart to be found and given how I come from an unusual background then… They can't begin to imagine it!"

"Heh, heh, heh. These months from mid-January to now must've been dull-paced… Chaos and terror are about to begin! Heh, heh, heh!"

15:19 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 3rd…

_Question 1: When did the Cuban Missile Crisis happen? What led to it, and how was it resolved?_

Hikari Netto, aged fourteen, was thinking.

He was sitting inside of his middle school classroom: he kept his hair as always and kept on sporting his bandana.

He looked like he was over a meter and sixty by now.

_Huff. Last exam of the day… And 2__nd__ day of exams already…! This week is gonna be ENDLESS. _

He dared a glance at his back and spotted his elder twin brother, Saito.

The main difference between him and Netto was the symmetric-like hair and his green emerald eyes as well as his facial features.

Saito was one or two inches taller than him, too.

He was immersed in his exam as well.

_Back to work!_

Netto quickly resumed looking at his paper sheet and started to write down the answer.

"The Cuban Missile Crisis happened in the autumn of the year 1962, when the Soviet Sharo and Cuban governments began to build missile bases in the island of Cuba. Ameroupe military reconnaissance planes spotted the construction and made it public. The Ameroupe government dictated a quarantine of the island to ensure that there wouldn't be shipment of missile components. After tense negotiations, both governments reached an agreement: the Sharo government would dismantle the bases, and the Ameroupe government would never invade the island of Cuba. It was one of the tensest points of the Cold War, and it's often regarded as the moment in which the world was in the brink of a nuclear war."

_Well. I'm just supposed to give an overall explanation to prove I know the basic concept. Let's keep on!_

16:15 PM (Japan Time)…

RRRRRINNNGGGG

The school bell rang and there was a chorus of sighs all across the classroom.

"Leave the exams on my desk." The History teacher ordered.

All of the students made three queues and walked towards the desk where they left their sheets on top of it face-down: the teacher stored them inside of a suitcase before departing the classroom.

"Phew! I thought I'd never be done with them." Netto sighed in relief and stretched.

"International history is something, eh?" Saito commented.

"Well! I think I did pretty well." Sakurai Meiru commented while walking over to them.

"And what do you think about it, Yaito – chan?"

"Heh, heh, heh! It wasn't that hard if you knew the basic answer to the questions." Ayanokouji Yaito replied with a smile.

"If you study for them… Then you can pass them." Hikawa Tooru added.

"Uh… Damn…" Ooyama Dekao looked down.

"I guess he didn't prepare it well." Saito guessed.

"I guess so." Netto smiled.

"But it ain't until Friday that the "E days" end..." Yaito announced while rolling her eyes and looking resigned.

"The terrible and deadly… Exam Days." Netto announced in a hushed and sinister tone.

"It's totally worth the nickname." Saito nodded in agreement.

They climbed down into the hall and opened the lockers to retrieve and interchange the shoes and to pick their Link PETs.

_The lockers have a Plug-In port which allows the Navis to jump straight into Internet City after passing through the institute's homepage as well as a charger to make sure they don't run out of battery… Talk about cool lockers! _Netto "told" Saito.

_Sure. Let's pick up and see what Blood Shadow and Sigma tell us._

"Meiru – chan! How did it go?" Roll EXE asked her.

"Good enough. Let's get home to prepare the next ones." Meiru replied.

"Good afternoon, guys!"

A Navi appeared on Netto's Link PET and projected with the hologram.

This Navi was about two meters tall and colored jet black: a red spheroid could be seen set on his chest area.

This spheroid seemed to be missing the armor over its mass.

His face had two red eyes and one shone brighter than the other: two horns, one of which was almost erased, were set on both sides of his head and added a "demonic" look to him.

Green data flows moved around his body and he held a massive black and green sword in his right hand which was easily over a meter tall.

Overall, he seemed to be tall and imposing.

"Hullo, Sigma! What's up?" Netto asked.

"Huff! Those jerks keep on playing "divide and conquer"… We had to go tackle them in Chile of all places!"

"Sure…"

"Come out, Blood, and tell us more." Saito requested.

A second Navi projected from Saito's Link PET, which was colored green and white to distinguish it from Netto's.

The Navi looked about the same height as Saito: his main color of choice was red.

He sported black shades: a flock of messy reddish hair came out from behind the helmet given how it only covered the face and the front of the head: his ear-pads had two purple "V" letters drawn inside of them.

His armor had the purple letters "BS" engraved on the chest area while his legs were colored black and had two red stripes running down the legs' sides in a parallel manner.

His right forearm was covered by a device colored red coupled with a piece of it which was colored transparent red: a small indentation near the wrist had the same "BS" initials engraved there: and, where the hand would be, a large double-barreled shotgun emerged instead.

"And their real goal was Taiwan: Cloud Man hit a bank there and stole about 5 million which he then split into countless pieces and distributed them at random. They're trying to play Robin Hood, I guess."

"Gauss already did it back when his debut 'long Magnet Man in November, 2004… Do we know if Twilight's back or not?" Netto sighed.

"We're not sure yet." Sigma admitted.

"Is Anaya Maria still in the Louisiana prison?"

"Yeah. Izono Marco and here haven't moved from there. She keeps on being smug and all and all attempts to have them tell us who the hell "KO", the guy we've been looking for during 10 months, is."

"That Twilight guy…! He tried to fool me into becoming a villain!" Meiru fumed.

"Well… More like…" Roll began to argue back.

"Chut! Not 'ere!" Yaito warned.

"It would not be wise." Glyde warned.

"Huh? What's this talk about?" Dekao frowned.

"Guts, guts? Twin light? De guts?"

"No, not "Twin light"! Twilight! _Towairaito_!" Blood Shadow corrected.

"Desu… Guts Man can't hear?" Ice Man looked annoyed.

"Guess he listens with just one ear." Tooru muttered.

"By the way, Tooru – kun!"

"Yeah, Netto – kun?"

"Can we go play with you some Wii games on Friday?" Saito asked.

"Sure. I won't make it easy!" He challenged.

The group cheerily walked out of the institute but failed to spot a figure riding a motorbike and parked close by.

The driver carried a helmet with a curious sticker: a gazelle colored red.

The visor from the bike helmet hid his face but he was seemingly speaking through a mike.

"… This is Red: I'm reporting from Zone S." The man announced in Japanese.

"This is Crystal: I copy you, Red. Report." Another man replied, also in Japanese.

"Nothing unusual… Just like last week…"

"Did the directional microphone catch anything?"

"Not yet. Wait… Hmmm… They're discussing about Robin Hood."

"Ah. That must be the newest raid by our "Neo Gospel" colleagues."

"Now they play Robin Hood?"

"It's but a disguise to make them think we're fooling around and not being serious: we want them to focus their attention there before we can carry out a strategy."

"Oho. That sounds cool."

"Olive will relieve you at 18 hours. Make sure to stay away from suspicious slow-moving cars. Over and out. Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

16:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"…bridging the gap between worlds with the Road of Saints and carving a Sacred Pathway for the Holy Chariots to cross…"

"DRAGON HELL! Stop purposely getting into the central hub and having your voice echo: you're driving me MAD! And what you really mean instead of that kilometric speech is "a new bridge has been opened with the road to cross over a gap so that cars can use that road"…! GO COOK SOMETHING EATABLE OR THE ANGER GOD WILL REAP YOUR SOUL ALONG WITH THAT OF MASTER CONFUCIUS!"

A man had been sitting in a black metallic armchair inside of a room somewhere when an echoing calm voice rang out so he began to grumble and finally exploded from the build-up annoyance.

"Boss? Anything new?"

"Apart from Dragon?"

"And apart from the clowns."

"Nothing!"

A Net Navi walked into the room at a slow and steady pace.

He was about one meter and eighty tall.

A blue jewel shaped like an inverted triangle was set on the forehead of his helmet which was emitting a cross-shaped flash.

His eyes' irises were blue and they displayed calm and concentration while long blond hair came out from behind him and reached all the way to the floor.

He had a red vest over his mainly black body and red armor over his forearms and boots: two golden circlets were set around his forearms and on his boots as well.

"Have we searched the right place?"

"Of course we have, Omega! That guy had to be from the underground!"

The man turned his armchair around to face Omega.

He looked on his mid – twenties, had messy jet black hair and red eye irises.

He wore a grayish armor made of several plates joined together of an unknown material and two swords sheaths were attached to his black belt.

His arms and legs were also covered in plating and he had boots and gloves of the same material.

A purple ragged, stained and torn cape hung from the back of the shoulders and reached all the way to the floor.

"Hum… But…"

"No "buts"!"

The room they were inside of was shaped like a dome: the ground had the general form of the Hikari emblem although the straight line and the pyramid-like bases were placed at the north and south ends instead of being in the north-west and south-east ends like in Netto's bandana.

There were two half-hexagon spots which had been built such that the ground was thirty centimeters lower and covered in a grid-like material.

The corridor was only wide enough for one person to walk through and it had a small hole from which a rail originated around the middle point of it: it extended forward until it reached the spot where the man's armchair (which had a purple Alphabet "V" drawn behind it) was at.

A closed hatch could be seen set on the ceiling directly above this middle spot.

The far end had a control console a group of 3 LCD screens set in a curved manner over the console: the room had some circular LED lights (like the ones in traffic lights) set on the walls forming figures.

"But maybe he wasn't from the underground?" Omega looked like he had his doubts.

"Oh yeah? Where from, then? Enlighten me!"

"Cool it, Boss."

"GRHTXKJT!"

"We don't need Martian V 4.55, thank you very much, Mr. Vadous."

"Well?"

"Maybe he was some small corporate guy who was… eh… well. Who used the "services" the underground provided with but eventually realized "IQ – sama" was a woman and not a man as everyone was led to believe in the first place?" Omega suggested.

"By all the… Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I've told you at least twice per month but you always shrugged it off: I did tell Colonel Talos and he ran some searches but without anything specific to narrow them down then…"

"Huff! The only thing we know is that their initials are "KO" but we're not sure of the nationality or age. But maybe it's a guy on the 40s or 50s to begin with…" Vadous grumbled.

"By the way… About Regal…"

"What did the jerk do this time around?"

"He's been finally made to pack and go to Maebashi City in the Gunma Prefecture back in March… They noticed that the only thing he did was provoke and such they wanted him away from here…"

"Huff! About damned time."

"Yeah, I know. I'll go try to find any clues to see if I can predict where they will strike next… Maybe Shadow Man knows something."

"Fine. I'll try to shake Dragon off too."

Omega walked out while sighing: Vadous grumbled under his breath and stood up to pace around the armchair.

"Damn it, Maria! You and your smug face…! I want to erase that smug grin from your face already! This isn't over! Not yet! Damn you!"

17:03 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well! It was nice to know everything's fine over here… By the way, is Count Elec around, Maha Jarama?"

"I believe so."

"I saw him going into the back-store…"

A customer had come to Maha Ichiban's and had been talking with Maha Jarama while sitting in one of the stools in front of the counter.

This customer could be about a meter and seventy-five in height but his age was around his early 20s.

He had messy silver hair which spread slightly backwards and formed some spikes: his eyes' irises were blue.

His clothes consisted on a navy blue overcoat which had a central silver button about the waist: the coat then opened to expose his legs although it covered the rear of them.

He wore a black shirt beneath the overcoat plus black fingerless gloves on his hands: he also sported black jeans and sneakers.

The right shoulder contained blackish armor with an orange-colored edge and a silver button right over it which seemed to help it be gripped to the shoulder: three circles were then drawn on his right sleeve before a triangular piece of armor expanded over the hand: its main body was black too and it had orange edges.

His PET was colored silver and brown and had an emblem: it was a perfect golden-colored cross which was drawn inside of a silver circle having a brownish edge.

"_Oh yeah! Rock 'n roll!_"

"Count Elec…!" Elec Man could be heard sighing.

"The usual show." Iroaya Madoi muttered as she came.

"Tee, heh, heh." Colored Man giggled.

"I WANNA BEAT FREEZE MAN!" Hinoken roared from somewhere else close by.

"Hinoken – sama…!" Fire Man sounded exasperated.

"Go, Dave."

"Jeez. Davis! My name is Davis, Charles!"

His Navi projected from the PET: the body suit was colored in a deep brown color and he was about a meter and eighty tall.

His eyes' irises were chestnut brown and his face seemed to be shaped after a man on his early 20s: he currently displayed some annoyance which they didn't bother to conceal.

His helmet's color was red and so were his boots and forearms: the helmet had the _kanji_ for "seigi" or "justice" written in a golden coloring vertically across his forehead's height.

The Navi seemed to wear a vest over his chest armor colored silver and having bronze edges: the vest also had the Alphabet character "D" colored golden set on each side of its body.

His arms contained four thin brownish stripes running down the north, south, west and east side of them until they drew four circles around the wrist: his forearms had extra armor over it colored in a grayish color plus a small red dome inside of each palm.

The legs' length had been designed to include a network of patterns interconnected by some nodes which were reminiscent of human nerves: the boots' front edge was shaped like a triangle and so was the heel: they apparently served as close-quarters combat weapons.

Overall he looked young and agile.

"Oi! Count Elec! They wouldn't have accepted that funny hair of yours in the cavalry!" Davis called out.

Charles was already standing and heading for the door.

"_WHAT_? _I'll teach you yet! By damnation! Eat Rock 'n Roll!_"

Charles ran out as Count Elec's classical guitar flew out of the store-room's open door and hit the floor next to the entrance: he stepped out while stomping the floor and looking annoyed.

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh."

"Huh? _Oh my God_! Dr. Wily – sama!"

Dr. Wily happened to be seating in the furthest seat along with Dark Miyabi: he looked amused while Miyabi was serious.

"So! Soul of Freddie Mercury: have you awakened?" Shadow Man came up with a joke of his own.

"_WHAT? _T-this JERK!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh!"

"Shadow Man… Why can't you ever stay quiet?"

"Who knows, Miyabi? Although… Some stuff is floating around."

"… That was LAME." Miyabi growled.

"Hrum. Totally." Wily turned serious.

"By the way… What about your foster daughter?"

"Oh, Yuriko. Well. She behaves and all: she's helping everyone out and always fulfilling all that the community service sentence says… Needle Man is pretty cooperative too: guess he doesn't want to leave Yuriko and is behaving so… I'm glad they sent Regal away: he was always trying to place the whole blame on me and only brought trouble around just be appearing there and showing his hide…"

"True. Let's hope some isolation will have him cool down a bit: he's still under monitoring and his passport is still confiscated to prevent him from exiting Japan."

"Regal…! It's been over 3 years and you still won't admit you've got to accept punishment for your acts! Stubborn foster son…!"

"Let's hope he behaves…"

17:11 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Puku! Heh, heh, heh! De puku!"

"What's with the good mood?"

"Huh! You're Thunder Man, de puku!"

"Yeah. What's with the good mood, huh?"

"Hah! Bubble Man –sama's newest invention: the Boom Bubble!"

"Boom Bubble? Sounds so lame…"

"Totally, Raoul…"

Thunder Man stumbled upon Bubble Man in Internet City chuckling and, when he questioned him, Bubble Man merely grinned at him while boasting: Raoul looked skeptical and so did Thunder Man.

"Bah. Let's ignore them and try to find any trace of the "Neo Gospel" guys around here just in case… That guy can't do anything with their master being sealed in that tomb so…"

Thunder Man headed away but failed to notice Darkloid Swallow Man standing atop a building and looking towards him.

"Heh, heh, heh. You moron. You fail to look at the most obvious spot to begin with! It ain't like this is Coruscant where there are billions of hiding places… Heh, heh, heh!" He chuckled.

"Swallow Man. Twilight – sama just told me: we're going to make a proper display of power next weekend. Heh, heh. heh."

"Oho. Nice to hear, Cosmo Man… Freeze Man – sama must be in pretty good mood by now too… Twilight – sama IS a genius!"

"Of course he is! Mwah, hah, hah! Cloud Man tells ya that!"

"Hum! Let the campaign begin with terror and chaos! Yamato Man has spoken! And his words will soon become reality!"

_Heh, heh, heh. Look on! But soon enough…! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!_


	2. Chapter 2: Happy Birthday!

**Chapter 2: Happy Birthday!**

16:45 PM (Japan Time), Monday June the 9th…

"… Alright! Will you tell us the reason for this entire hush-hush atmosphere, Blood?"

"Yeah! Could you explain?"

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Netto and Saito along with Blood Shadow were walking down a corridor somewhere.

This corridor had a curved shape and was metallic too: it had some metallic arches set every a few hundred meters, more or less: the ceiling contained fluorescent tubes which provided the illumination and several armored and labeled doors could be seen showing up at either side of the corridor.

"Surprise, surprise."

"Oho. Teasing us?" Netto grinned.

"It's gotta be some big deal!"

Blood Shadow shrugged and they stopped in front of two doors with the banner "MESS HALL" atop them: he signaled them with his left hand while making a mischievous smile.

"After you."

Both shrugged and stepped in to find the whole room unlit.

"Huh… Hello~?" Netto called out.

"Anyone home~?" Saito called out next.

The lights suddenly came in along with the sound of a trumpet and of crackers being blown up.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY~!"

"W-WHOA~!"

They could now see various persons (apart from Vadous, Omega and Sigma) who had gathered behind a table having two side benches to sit at: confetti fell down and there were some colored paper decorations across the room along with the banner "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" hanging from the ceiling as well.

"W-whoa~! Saito – niisan! Today is… June the 9th!"

"_OUR_ birthday!" Saito gasped.

"I'd forgotten!"

"I'd forgotten too!"

"Congratulations!"

"Ah! Thank you, Dr. Lartes!"

Dr. Lartes had black hair and brown eye irises: his age was aobut the same as that of Vadous.

He wore a medic's coat with the ID "Dr. Kazimura Lartes" written on it and sported brown pants plus shoes.

He also had a pair of reading glasses on, too.

"Feel proud!"

"Kir Osh – san…!"

Kir Osh was a man sporting a similar armor to that of Vadous and being about his and Lartes' age.

His hair was neatly combed and blond in color while his eyes' irises were emerald green.

Like Vadous, he sported armor over his body which had a purple Alphabet "K" letter as its chest emblem plus a sword sheath.

"Heh, heh, heh! Surprises and bangs! It rhymes!"

"Daratsu – san…!"

"_San wa iranai_ and I know Meijin's gonna call me "motto thief"…"

Daratsu had brown hair and blue eye irises: he had a small cut on the SW corner of his chin which looked recent.

His clothes were a plain black wool sweater, wool pants, socks and sandals plus a red & brown _katana_ sheath which had a leather band spanning from the left shoulder to the right side of the body.

He had a purple Alphabet "D" letter hand-drawn on the middle of his chest as if identifying him.

"Heh, heh, heh! That wouldn't surprise me, Daratsu!"

"Mwah, hah, hah. Kuro Kaze spoke!"

"Oh. Leave me along, Sigma."

Kuro Kaze had blond hair and brown eyes instead and could be four to five centimeters taller than this pal.

His clothes had a lighter color to them but kept on being black: his _katana_ sheath was brown and blue instead and the leather band was brown instead of green.

The characters drawn on his chest read "K2" instead.

"Take a seat!" Vadous invited.

"Heh." Omega grinned.

"Surprised?" Blood Shadow smiled as he walked in too.

"Of course!"

They sat down just as the kitchen doors opened and a man came in.

They looked about a meter and eighty tall and in their late 30s.

They wore a goldenrod tunic and a brownish bamboo hat plus traditional wood sandals.

His hair was black and ended in a thin string behind his head which had a Chinese-like decoration.

His eyes' irises were brown.

He currently carried a chocolate cake shaped like a Chinese dragon and having the Chinese _kanji_ for the number 15 set in a small mound in front of the mouth.

"The Humble Cook of…" He began.

"Ahem, ahem!" Vadous cleared his throat.

"Yikes! Ahem… Congratulations, gentlemen."

"Thank you, Dragon – san!"

He left the cake on the table and bowed before heading back to the kitchen as he joined his sleeves and his hands inside of them: Netto and Saito grinned and inhaled.

"Go!"

They blew off the lit candles and a round of applause ensued: they blushed and looked elsewhere.

"Alright! Present time!" Vadous called out.

"Whoa!"

"I'll go first." Omega announced.

He grabbed a small cardboard platter with a Battle Chip resting on top of it and handed it to Netto.

"Wow! Is this…?" Netto gasped in surprise.

"Yeah! I worked hard on this!

"Lemme see!" Saito begged as he leaned over his right shoulder while looking eager.

"Look!" Netto told Saito.

"Whoa, whoa! It's Omega's O – Saber!" Saito whistled in surprise and looked totally surprised.

This Battle Chip depicted a sword weapon which had a straight smooth hilt followed by a trapeze body colored white.

A blade of energy colored blue but with a white edge having a pyramidal form emerged from its body and aimed up.

The handle had the Greek symbol "Omega" colored brown and green plus the Hikari family crest inside of the "arch" it drew.

"Yeah! And it's got "hi-frequency" mode where you can cut through anything just like Gray Fox's sword and Olga's. And I guess "new" Raiden's blade can do that too. _MGS4_ is finally coming out 3 days from now and I'm eager to _check it out_!" Omega looked slightly amused.

"Mwah, hah, hah! My turn! Yo and behold!"

He handed Saito another Battle Chip and he whistled.

"Look, Netto – kun! The Sigma Sword!"

"Wow!"

This Battle Chip depicted Sigma's gigantic sword but the edge had been altered to have green, brown and blue dots on both flanks and the main body had a central white stripe travelling it through it instead: the handle had the purple Greek symbol for "Sigma" along with the Hikari crest inside of its opening.

"So! My turn came. Here ya have!"

Blood Shadow handed them a Chip as well with his left hand: Netto held it up and Saito looked at it too.

"Elemental Cyclone?" Saito read the label aloud.

"You used it a lot in the VR missions!"

This Chip depicted Rock Man being surrounded by countless leaves forming curved patterns and leading to the shape of a tornado with some other leaves blowing away too.

"I'm not good at Battle Chips, so I'm gonna give you this instead." Daratsu announced.

"Oho! What is it?"

He gave both of them wooden swords along with their sheaths: they looked hand-made and the sheaths had bronze patterns carved into their bodies.

"Cool! I look like a _samurai_!" Netto laughed.

"And if you want to look scary…" Kuro Kaze grinned.

He handed them a pair of _ninja_ – like balaclavas which had the purple "V" as logo on the forehead plus a creepy smile drawn over the mouth.

"I could scare the hell outta Dekao with this!" Saito laughed.

"This is for you." Kir Osh announced.

He gave them a pair of sea blue caps with the Hikari symbol drawn on the front of it: they also had a white band circling the main body.

"I could try combining it with the bandana somehow…" Netto looked like he'd had an idea.

Netto tried it on and looked towards a portable mirror atop the table: he brought a hand to his chin and frowned.

"Hmmm…. Aha!"

He turned it around 180º and inclined it a bit.

"Do I look like a cool guy?" He asked.

"You really do!" Saito laughed.

"This is my present." Lartes announced.

He handed them some tickets which had the logo "Japan Thousand Amusements Building" on their bodies.

"Special passes for the Japan Thousand Amusements Building!" Netto whistled in surprise.

"And there are enough to invite some of our friends over, too!" Saito added.

"It's time for the final present."

"What is it, Vadous – san?" Netto eagerly asked.

"It's a surprise! Come with me." Vadous blinked them an eye.

They both walked out of the mess hall and walked down the corridor until they reached an elevator.

"We need to go elsewhere?" Saito was surprised.

"Don't worry. It's a quick trip."

PING!

"Ah! Here it is. Let's go!"

They stepped into the elevator and Vadous hit the button labeled "1st Deck" (the others were "Docking Bays", below "1st Deck", "2nd Deck" and "3rd Deck") so the elevator climbed down from the 2nd Deck it was at for a few seconds before it stopped.

"Good. Follow me: left!"

They followed him left and stopped in front of a bulky armored door which had the banner "STORAGE #0" set on it: Vadous punched an access code on a panel to the right and a small camera studied his retinal pattern before the letters "OK" were displayed in the panel: the door opened outwards and some cold air flew out.

"Whoa!"

The whole room was an industrial-scale refrigerator chamber which was packed with some boxes: there was a metallic cube with a central slit set on the center as well: Vadous walked over to it and a pressed a button to have a metallic square container pop out from the slit.

"OK!"

He walked out and pressed a button to close the door from the outside: the twins were frowning by now.

"Vadous – san… What's this?" Netto asked.

"Why did you need to store it there?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Follow me back to the mess hall and I'll talk about it: this is something special!"

They undid the previous path and got to the mess hall where everyone was engrossed in some chat or another.

"Alright! Pay attention, you guys!"

Vadous opened the case and revealed something wrapped in shock-absorbing wrap bubble plastic: he took it out and then held it up on his right hand.

"This is my special present for them! The "Synchro Chip" I designed!"

"WHAT?" Both gasped in surprise.

Vadous placed it on Netto's right hand so both he and Saito had a look at the thing.

This "Synchro Chip" included a central brownish dome with an emerald edge and eight straight spokes radiating from it in all eight directions: the purple "V" logo was set on place of the Hikari family crest which had been displaced to the body just before the contacts.

"Whoa."

"So?"

"Thanks a lot!"

"Heh, heh, heh! Alright! Enjoy the cake! No talk about gloomy things is allowed today: it's a day to be in a good mood!"

"Yum! Chocolate with milk! I love it!"

"Netto – kun… Don't devour it all! The others have the right to a slice of it as well!" Saito rolled his eyes.

"Did ya say something', Mr. Eye-have-you~?"

"Jeez. Charles told you that, I know."

"Heh, heh, heh! Enjoy!"

18:48 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright! So here you have: Justice Blade, 3 of 'em!"

"You can now use the "Golden Blade" Program Advance!"

"WOW and WOW!"

"De masu! I insist! They should be collector's items, de masu!"

"Come on! They're just a lil edit: anyone could do it!"

"Hah! Well. Have the Mega Guts Punch!"

"This Chip has Roll's "Heart Slash" technique and can siphon HP from the opponent too!"

"Tee, heh, heh! My Chip is this: Ojiouzan! The enemy hits it and a thunderbolt to punish them falls down!"

"Here! Ice Seed. It might be helpful!"

"Chu! At least I could have niichan give that instead of a mere Vulcan Battle Chip, chu…"

"Well! De masu! Ta-ta-ta-dan, by masu and de masu!"

"Yamitarou. Quit the fooling around."

"Huh… Number Man… You don't have humor, de masu? Ah… Well… De masu… Here, de masu… Triple Bomb, de masu…"

"Huh… Bubble Side…"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh! This is being a nice birthday party, right, Yuuichirou – san?

"Of course, Haruka…"

The party continued on the Hikari household with Netto's and Saito's friends coming with their Battle Chips to offer.

"Heh, heh, heh! Alright! _Go_! This is my present, Netto! A Battle Chip with the "Thunderbolt" attack Thunder Man has!" Raoul told him.

"Wow! I'm going to have to prepare a dedicated Folder: 15th Birthday Folder, I'd name it!" Netto grinned.

"It's not a bad idea!" Saito calmly replied.

"Guts, guts! The Guts has Guts!" Guts Man made some silly rhyme.

"Huh…? Desu…?" Ice Man wondered.

"Pyrurururu?" Aqua Man frowned.

"Oh come on." Number Man sighed.

"Guts Man – san…" Glyde looked exasperated.

"Don't mind him, Glyde…" Roll shrugged.

"That sounded forced." Thunder Man muttered.

"I'm sorry for the delay… Here you have: _Kawarimi_!" Dark Miyabi joined the party and handed him that.

"Wow! Thanks, Miyabi!"

"Heh, heh, heh. So, you're Guts Man. Can you offer me a rhyme?" Shadow Man asked him.

"Huh… Shadow the Shadow, de guts?"

"Why not…"

"Yo! Netto. Sorry. The eternal meeting with some salesman kept me busy and I just managed to shake them off." Enzan came in too.

"Guts, guts! Blues a Blues!"

"What?" Blues seemingly frowned under the shades.

"Here you have: Neo Variable Sword."

"_Thank you_, Enzan!"

"Heh. Enzan beat me to it…" Laika came in next.

"It was obvious, sir." Search Man wasn't surprised.

"Here you have, Netto. Make wise use of this."

"Prism, eh? That reminds me… Commissioner Kifune, Manabe – san and Misaki – san plus Prism Man sent their greetings but they were busy enough so…" Netto smiled.

"Don't mind it: this party's already quite complete." Saito grinned.

"Search a Search, de guts, Guts de Guts and Guts."

"That was… weird." Number Man sighed.

"Totally." Roll sighed in defeat too.

"Oh! Pride and Knight Man send greetings from Cream Land." Netto picked his PET after it beeped.

"We last met them a month ago during an incognito visit, yeah."

"Ah! Mails from Masa – san, Miyuki – san and Saloma – san…"

"Plus Shark Man, Skull Man and Wood Man…"

"And Hayami Daisuke – san too!"

"Wow! I remember: they'd re-emerged a year ago but then kept rather quiet yet he tried to get friendly with Saloma – san again… Quick Man must be feeling happy too." Saito whistled in surprise.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Oi! Guts Man! Man the Guts!"

"That's… silly." Blood Shadow groaned.

"Guts? Guts Man doesn't get it, de guts."

"Heh, heh, heh! This is gonna be a birthday to be remembered!"

"Sure! And wind we're going to end this year in another two weeks as well…" Saito looked eager.

"Tee, heh, heh. Yuuichirou – san will gain some of the weight he lost!"

"Man. I really should take some more breaks from time to time!"

General cheery laughter ensued…


	3. Chapter 3: New-gen terror

**Chapter 3: New-gen terror**

17:11 PM (New Orleans Time), Saturday June the 14th…

"… Tee, heh, heh."

"What's with the good mood, IQ – sama?"

"Marco! I told cha to drop that title 'ere: I'm a mortal 'ere but soon enough I'll get back to power."

"Huh… Roger, Anaya – san…"

"Tee, heh, heh."

A woman on her late 20s or early 30s and over a meter and eighty tall in height was standing in the corner of a large state prison's outer yard and talking with another man in Japanese.

The woman had orange-colored hair which reached until the base of her neck and blue eyes irises which depicted malice: she had a smug smile to her face.

She wore a simple orange set of clothes which obviously was the prison clothes along with simple white shoes.

"Twilight contacted me yesterday. We can expect developments today at around this hour. He took his time but I can't blame him: he was waiting for the jerks to lower the guard."

"I see, Anaya – san."

"Right, Izono Marco~?"

The man speaking with her was about her same age and maybe 2 to 3 centimeters shorter in height.

He had black hair and his eyes' irises were brown: he looked calm and he didn't seem to be surprised.

He also had prison clothes on him.

"It's about 17:13… They should soon come." Anaya grinned.

"We shall see." The man, Izono, calmly replied.

Alarms suddenly came into life as three Hind A model choppers flew towards the compound and began to shoot out missiles as the security turrets: machinegun fire ensued.

"Cosmo Buster!"

"Swallow Cutter!"

"Elec Storm!"

"Thousand Spear!"

"Icicle Fall!"

The "Darkloids" Cosmo Man, Swallow Man, Cloud Man and Yamato Man suddenly materialized inside of the perimeter and began to attack the security fences: Freeze Man landed next to them and made a gallant bow while smiling.

"Mistress Anaya and Mister Izono?"

"Yeah. That's us. Good show." Anaya grinned.

"One of the choppers will now land to pick you up and we'll then use the "gateway" to head to the rendezvous point." He announced.

"Good. Twilight wasn't kidding." Izono got smug.

"Tee, heh, heh! Destroy as much as ya want."

"Delighted. Ice Tower!"

One of the Hind A choppers landed next to them and they climbed into the crew area where Dr. Yoru Yami was waiting for them.

"Queen – sama. Mr. Secretary." He greeted.

"Good work, Twilight! Let's get outta 'ere full throttle." Anaya told him.

"Roger. Pilot!"

"OK!"

The chopper lifted and turned tail while the other two unleashed their barrage of missiles and machinegun around the perimeter to totally collapse the outermost walls: these other two Hind A choppers also turned tail while the five enemies continued their attack.

"Cloud Man, Swallow Man! Head ahead to the nearest airfield and sabotage their radar and any military choppers." Freeze Man commanded to them.

"Roger!"

"Ou! Count on us!"

"Heh, heh, heh." Freeze Man chuckled.

"The choice of the time was smart: it's not even 7:25 AM in Japan and they're still glued to their sheets 'cause it's a hot sluggish June Sunday to begin with… Brilliant!" Yamato Man chuckled.

"Isn't it? Those lowlifes are so predictable." Cosmo Man formed a smug grin next.

"Good! Let's return to the choppers and provide escort until the point where they'll meet with the "gateway" and head to the rendezvous point… Twilight – sama's strategy is a great success."

The three of them de-materialized and travelled across a Wi-Fi signal until they entered another Cyber World decorated with the letters "DP" colored in a jade color and set against an ominous gray background: Cloud Man and Swallow Man came in next.

"Our part of the strategy is finished as well, Commander Freeze Man!"

"Easy money~…" Swallow Man chuckled.

"Good work, you guys!" Dr. Yoru Yami congratulated.

"Thank you, Twilight – sama!"

"Glory to IQ – sama: today thou return to power!"

"Sure thing, man! Tee, heh, heh. Too bad, Vadous! Cha lose this round!"

07:37 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 15th…

"… BOSS!"

"Hmmm…?"

"You got asleep in the armchair again!"

"Huh…? Well… Yeah…"

"I've got news."

"Wall Street got hit by those rascals or what?"

"Worse! Maria and Marco have been extracted from the prison!"

"WHAT IN THE DAMNED…?"

Dr. Lartes rushed into the room where Vadous' armchair was at and found him to have fallen asleep while sitting there: he began to sluggishly wake up but Dr. Lartes' news snapped him outta it.

"And look at _this_."

He inputted some commands in the console and brought up security camera footage of the assault: he stopped the feed when the Hind A touched down and zoomed on Dr. Yoru Yami.

"Fuck! Yoru Yami! So you _were_ alive! I knew it! You pulled a _bushin_ or you pulled some light show before running for it 10 months ago! And all those attacks were distractions to make me forget about making sure you couldn't rescue Maria…! Che! Where the hell did those guys get their hands on those? Did he rip them from _MG3: Snake Eater_?"

"No. They're real enough." Dr. Lartes corrected.

"_Mil millions de llamps i trons_!"

"Catalan, huh? "A billion blistering barnacles"…"

"Damn them!"

"Boss… A stress attack won't do any good so cool it down. We gotta work on figuring out where they went off to."

"To the Bermudas!"

"Boss… Be serious."

"GRHTXJTA!"

"Boss… We don't need a new version of Martian."

"A TRAIL! MY KINGDOM FOR A TRAIL!" He lifted his arms in an exasperated manner.

"I think you need some tea." Lartes merely adjusted his reading glasses and was far from surprised.

"OMEGA~!"

"You called?"

Omega rushed into the room and Vadous turned the chair around to face him: he signaled the screen with his right thumb finger and Omega immediately got annoyed.

"Fuck. Moriarty's evil descendant." He came up with some sarcastic title on the spot.

"Totally!"

"Hind A, huh? Can't be that easy to find that nowadays. I'll ask Colonel Talos and Colonel Thunderbolt."

"Yeah. Wake them up if needed but something tells me Colonel Talos is already awake and working being the early riser he is."

"Roger. Do I tell Blood and Sigma?"

"Not yet. This will show up on the news anyway."

"Leave it to me. By the way… About the cake remains…"

"What happened?"

"Dragon put them into an exhibit case in front of the mess hall doors and titled it "the collapsed neophyte dragon of 15,000,000 years ago"… Guess it's supposed to be pop art or something like that."

"Dragon… Get back to Earth!" Vadous growled.

"Hey. It's not like I gave him the idea: you fixed that weird "glitch" I got back in January, Boss." Omega reminded him.

"I knew that, by damnation and Haddock!"

Omega shrugged and ran out: the hum of an elevator rang out while Vadous began to pace around the chair before banging both armrests with violence: Lartes sighed.

"Mr. Vadous."

"Ah! Colonel Talos! You got Omega's message?"

"No. I saw the news. The 8 AM news…"

A man showed up on-screen yet the screen only displayed him from the waist upwards.

He looked as being on his late forties: his hair was grey and parts of it fell down in the front of the face and he seemed to be missing his left eye as well.

He was dressed in a grey army uniform, although the area around the sleeves and neck was colored in a reddish patch: he had a distinction on the right side of the uniform just underneath the right shoulder.

"So? What do you think of those Hind A?"

"They most likely have been upgraded but they're the kind which was still in use in the 80s… Maybe they picked them from one of the republics which split apart in the chaotic 90s…" He offered.

"Hum. Maybe Colonel Thunderbolt would know more?"

"Maybe. I think he used them from time to time. Else we can ask General Hawk to check it out with some of his men…"

"Good. The sooner we start searching the better: I'm going to try to estimate how far their "gateway" tech can transport them to."

"Roger. We've lowered the guard and we're regretting it by now…"

08:08 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Cosmo Gate!"

"Che. Out of the way."

"Hmpf."

"Cosmo Man!"

Omega had stumbled upon Cosmo Man somehow in Internet City and they were battling over the rooftops by now: Omega was annoyed while Cosmo Man was being smug.

"I'll teach you about your own powerlessness."

"How lame." Omega grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh. That's the price you pay for being lazy."

"Not lazy: you lowlifes set up a trap for us to fall for!"

"Twilight – sama's strategies are a great success!"

"Tell the guy to show his hide."

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Not yet. This is but the start of this series: I'm the scriptwriter this time around! No need for the useless and ego-filled Video Man either!" Dr. Yoru Yami's voice echoed.

"Twilight! Stick out your Sidious wannabe cloak!"

"Sidious wannabe cloak! Tell that to you lowlife's master: you're their dog to yank around the chain after all! A mere puppet!"

"You wanna act like a Darkloid, huh?" Omega wasn't impressed.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

"Go destroy your ego! _I'm gonna destroy my ego_… Mistress Madonna tells you that." He fumed.

He jumped over the planetoids and reached Cosmo Man but when he tried to hit him he turned transparent and vanished.

"Che! 3D image and you're coming from behind."

He turned and attacked the real one but he formed his ring to block Omega's incoming attack: he made a smug smile and Omega suddenly kicked a planetoid to hit Cosmo Man instead and have him crash against a nearby building.

"So. The dog bites, huh?" He mocked.

"I do. _Cave canem_!" Omega taunted back.

"Hmpf. Cosmo Buster!"

"Zan-datsu!"

"Wha~t?"

Omega suddenly wielded the sword with both hands as its edges glowed and began to cut the spheroids while dashing forward: he delivered a series of impossibly rapid cuts to Cosmo Man's body but then Cosmo Man punched him into the right cheek: Omega merely jumped back and drew his gun next: he spun it around his left hand and then shot several rounds which hit Cosmo Man and began to explode and open up wounds.

"Gra~h! Armor-piercing shells!"

"Hmpf! Davis gave me the idea to copy Solidus' P90."

"Damn." Yoru Yami's voice growled.

"Gruo~h! Too dangerous! Tactical withdrawal!"

Cosmo Man escaped and left a Giga Count Bomb Program Advance which headed towards a group of onlookers some meters below: Omega quickly grabbed it and warped to higher in the air to throw it into the "skies" and have it detonate there in a harmless manner: yet some purplish dust began to fall down.

"Evacuate! Now!"

Police Navis quickly rushed the onlookers away while Omega drew the Hell's Burner Battle Chip.

"Hell's Burner!"

"I'll give a hand too! Hell's Burner!"

"Ah! Zero."

"Yeah. Sorry for not coming to the party: I'm not that type of guy. Wily stayed away just in case too… I was investigating something but I'll tell you later once we dispose of that thing."

Zero had joined Omega into burning the purplish dust or powder: some hit the ground and began to form circuitry patches before a "Dark Aura" face like the one in the "Dark Chips" appeared and condensed into a "Dark Chip": the phenomenon began to spread and patches of the ground got deleted to build new "Dark Chips" which flew upwards.

"By all the…"

A gigantic UFO – like object suddenly uncloaked and began to suck those "Dark Chips" into its insides.

"That's the damned UFO Regal came up with way over 3 years ago on the "Internet City Annihilation" day…! It then became the "Darkloid" castle after it'd sucked up almost all data on "Internet City" and lots of Navis to use as sacrifice for the "Dimensional Converters"… At this rate history will repeat again! Let's go, Zero!"

"OK!"

They both warped and appeared atop one of the outer "circles" of the "UFO" thing: the phenomenon was expanding in a fast manner and they gasped when they saw that a huge patch of the city had become a desert-themed Cyber World with wrecked military equipment tossed there and there without any order.

"What in the… He's into post-apocalyptic games or what?"

"Dunno."

They both cut a way inside and quickly found the central room where all "Dark Chips" floated into gigantic servers to be stored there.

"So! Who's here?" Omega challenged.

"Come out."

"Mru~h!"

"What's that? Sounds like lowing…" Zero frowned.

"I now hear chirping… Wait a min… Oh shit."

A squad of about ten peculiar enemies dropped into the area.

These enemies were odd: they had a "head" had a shape reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "T" having a small antenna and a dome-shaped turrets plus missile tubes attached over where the ears would be.

The rest of the body included an armored square segment with a neck extension and two small curved extensions over the knees.

The legs weren't metallic or armored and they had a black-tinted skin: they ended in feet with three front fingers and some kind of heel to allow for support as well.

"_Gekkou_! From _MGS4: Guns of the Patriots_! These things' kicks are enough to overcome any heavy vehicle, nothing less than caliber 50 rounds will damage them, they have aural and IR sensors, they can use missiles and machineguns plus some kind of wire too…! And they can easily climb over any surface or organize to strike together…! Twilight! The jerk's started to watch it too! I myself played until I'd finished Act 1 and begun Act 2: I dunno what else he can throw at us." Omega described.

"Lovely." Zero grumbled.

"Program Advance! Justice Bomb, Triple Slot In!"

"Golden… BOMB!"

Davis suddenly appeared there while having formed a golden-colored version of the Giga Count Program Advance: he flung it at the middle of the circle as Omega and Zero jumped atop the enemies.

"Gotcha."

The explosion formed some shrapnel which struck the armor of the "Gekkou" units and stunned then: Zero and Omega began to cut the missile tubes and the machinegun turrets over them before they leapt away: Davis began to do the same too.

"Keep these guys busy! I'll try to disable the servers. Over 90% of the Internet City Japan Site has turned into a deserted land with high temperatures, a bright sun and circuitry patches drawn into the skies and seemingly extending for tens of kilometers…"

"That rings a bell somewhere…" Omega frowned.

"Another _MGS4_ rip-off?" Zero suggested.

"Hmmm… I'm not sure yet. But Act 1 was in the Middle East yet the landscape was a city and not the middle of the desert."

"Alright."

Davis began to attach slabs of C4 explosive after spilling oil over the servers while Omega and Zero began to slice up the "Gekkou" units yet more and more began to drop down.

"We're set!"

"OK! I'll try to make these follow me elsewhere: the C4 will only take out the servers 'cause it's impossible to blow something this big."

"Roger."

Omega cut open a doorway so both he and Zero ran down across the corridor with the 30 or so enemies following: Davis climbed up the shaft and reached a gigantic metallic red spheroid made of several compartments and which was glowing: he sneered and quickly formed a chainsaw.

"Ripped this from _Biohazard 4_… A rip for a rip!"

"Good one!" Charles grinned too.

Davis turned it on and began to cut across the core: energy began to flow out while some patches began to break down.

"Not-so-nice-looking panorama, guys… The whole of the control building has been suddenly filled with tear gas and all employees were forced to evacuate while some of those things showed up there to scare them: the building's now been officially hijacked." Vadous warned.

"Damn it. So Twilight must've been working on this all this time we weren't able to know if he was dead or not."

"Well. That "Emperor S" guy did tell us he was convinced that Twilight was missing in January, but that's already a long way back…"

"Omega says this landscape rings a bell."

"Yeah. I've got that feeling myself and I'm trying to access the archives to see if I find anything… Cut a hole into the thing, place some bombs and then get out: the power core's explosion should at least disable its movements and we could keep it paralyzed and such. All but a few Internet lanes heading here have been cut off and the boundaries of this domain have 6 layers of firewalls protecting them…"

"But we can still Plug Out?" Charles asked.

"Yeah. Luckily they haven't started cracking up the protocol which ensures emergency retrieval for any Navi. Omega and Zero will need to go into the Reverse Cyber World and re-emerge elsewhere, though."

"Gotcha."

Davis placed the bomb inside and was retrieved: the core blew up and the whole UFO's lighting dimmed to almost nothing while it stopped sucking in more "Dark Chips": they all fell back into the ground and broke thus actually restoring some of the absorbed terrain patches but as fragmented block-by-block parts: Zero and Omega dropped down and used jet-packs to safely land into the ground.

"Alright. Let's pull out already. We'll need to come up with a strategy to try to restore this place to normal."

"I know. Damned Twilight. Always screwing it up!"

"I know, Boss… I'm eager to kick his ugly Sidious wannabe hide!"

08:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… WHAT?"

"Yes, Mr. Denpa."

"By all the…!"

Colonel Talos met with a man inside of an office.

This man was younger than him: he could be on his mid 20s.

He had short brown hair and his eyes' irises were brown: slight remains of a recent shaving could be spotted on his face too.

He wore a white shirt, a purplish tie, pants and brown shoes.

He also had reading glasses on.

"_Ah! La bruixa! __Ah! La pirata! Ah! L'assassina! Ah! La xantagista! Ah! La canalla! Ah! L'extorsionista! Ah! La vagabunda! Ah! La llunàtica! Ah! La botxina!"_ He began to pace around and he sounded like he was cursing in another idiom.

"Hum. Catalan…" Colonel Talos calmly muttered.

"Ah! The witch! Ah! The pirate! Ah! The assassin! Ah! The blackmailer! Ah! The villain! Ah! The extortionist! Ah! The vagabond! Ah! The madwoman! Ah! The executioner!" Mr. Denpa started to curse in English now.

"I know. We're trying to figure out where they got the choppers to see if we can get any hints on their organization's name…"

"Ah! _Majo me_! Ah! _Kaizoku me_! Ah! _Koroshiya me_! Ah! _Kyoukatsusha me_! Ah! _Akutou me_! Ah! _Soukaiya me_! Ah! _Hourousha me_! Ah! _Ki no kurutta onna me_! Ah! _Shokeisha me_!" He cursed in Japanese next.

"And if that wasn't worth enough what happened to Internet City is frightening as well…"

"Shit. Excuse me the wording, sir, but…!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Denpa. We all feel like channeling our rage out."

"Thank you…"

He finally sat back on the chair in front of his work desk and sighed in defeat: he wiped his glasses with a handkerchief.

"Yes. We need to pull all possible threads and…?"

He suddenly headed for the window and looked out into the streets: he could see a biker having an indigo-colored bull sticker on their helmet's forehead: they were rather hidden and seemed to be many meters down because the office was in a high-rise building.

"… Indigo bull, ivory dolphin and yellow seagull…" He muttered.

"I'd noticed, yes. A blue boar, a violet octopus and a cyan elephant…"

"So they've sent bikers to watch over us… Surely low-level grunts which barely are aware of anything… Maybe mercenaries hired by this group into being freelance and available to hit targets as the customers instruct… And with the "gateway" tech they could make them instantaneous and impossible to detect… We will have to keep our eyes open… I got reports from Agents Mori and Karasu about a red gazelle guy and an olive eagle…"

"Twilight is either trying to place pressure into us or use them to try to hit us as if wanting to say "Japan is not the haven you thought it was" like how he did a year ago…" Colonel Talos calmly replied.

Mr. Denpa closed the window and sat back on the chair while sighing and leaning his elbows on the table to support his jaw.

"We need to get Chief Lezareno to start looking… And maybe we need to try to capture one of those… I don't think they're fanatical enough to try to suicide so… And they might take a while to notice: if we can fake hourly reports then the better…"

"Good thinking. I'll set everything on the move ASAP."

"Thank you, Colonel."

Talos came out of the room and Mr. Denpa sighed.

_This is going to be a LONG summer… I've got that feeling!_


	4. Chapter 4: Jade Panther

**Chapter 4: Jade Panther**

09:30 AM (Honolulu Time), Sunday June the 15th…

"… Tee, heh, heh. Yo. Marco. Napped like a log?"

"… Yes, Anaya – san."

"Drop that dull face: be more natural!"

"As you command."

"Huff. Alright. Let's go meet Twilight and our trustee…"

"Roger, ma'am…"

Anaya came out of a yacht's cabin while dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, blue shorts and sandals: she looked smug.

"Over there!"

"Roger."

Izono, on the other hand, had a simple black short-sleeved shirt on along with jeans and sandals.

"Tee, heh, heh. What did you think of the show Twilight set up yesterday, Marco?"

"Terrific, ma'am."

"Wasn't it? How clever! Using all that raw material to produce stuff and then turning the whole place into a desert… Dr. Regal must be pretty pissed off he didn't think of it nor like he could! He lacked any thrill or imagination… Twilight is a million times better than the guy!"

"True, ma'am."

"Tee, heh, heh!"

They climbed up a flight of stairs into the bow of the ship where four white plastic chairs had been set around a central portable table which had a breakfast served there: Yoru Yami was sitting in one and facing the unidentified man named "Jade" who was giving both of them the back.

"Yo!"

"Ah. Ma'am. I hope you slept alright."

"Of course… Kranos Opoulos!"

"I am delighted to know."

The man stood up and turned around to greet her.

He was on his mid 50s and could be over a meter and eighty in height yet he had a rather athletic figure to him.

His hair was brown and neatly combed while his eyes' irises were also brown: a small nicely cut moustache could be spotted on his face but he had no traces of a beard.

He currently whore a white tuxedo along with black pants and brown leather shoes.

"Tee, heh, heh. How could they image ya were an executive in the FBI and when you were charged with investigating our activities you ended up realizing that "IQ" was me, a woman, instead of some idiot on his 50s or 60s? They've been digging up in the underground in vain." She giggled and looked smug.

"Truly."

"And that was why you recommended me to cooperate with him, my lady, last summer…" Yoru Yami politely added

"Sure. Now tell me: where did you find those cool guys you used in that December show?"

"Ah! That… Well… Truth to be told, my lady… I didn't."

"Huh? What do you mean, you didn't?"

"Let us sit down and I will explain."

"Fine."

"It's not so simple…" Opoulos warned.

They all sat down on the chairs and a waiter brought over a fresh jar of water along with cups before walking away.

"I was in Brazil, recovering from my injuries last summer. Those guys were actually brought over by someone named "Emperor S" and through an agent named "Sidier"…"

"Hey! That's the name I was planning to give to you but then I changed my mind!" Anaya gasped.

"I know, my lady. It'd seem these guys came from another Time-Space, the one I'd visited where I took over "Nebula", witnessed the advent of "Duo" and finally exited with a lil show… I know Kanou Shade and that kid I had plans for fled there so they met these guys… And they then came to check us out… In the end it brought publicity to "Neo Gospel" yet not even they could figure out the true ID of Mr. Opoulos…"

"I see. Well! It's no big deal. What happened with the RAY? It's still there, onboard the HQ Vadous has?"

"Yes. But since there's a new model in _MGS4_ I'm planning to pick it instead because it'll have a more modern feeling."

"Oho! It finally came out? Do you have a copy?"

"Yes. I got my hands on one before official release and have almost finished it up. The wait was worth it: totally."

"Tee, heh, heh! Finally! I can't wait to check it out."

"I think I'll be able to end today and tomorrow Your Grace could have it to have fun with while I work on the "desert campaign" with my five men: we're about to bring brain-fever to those guys."

"By the way, ma'am… My own organization, a mercenary hiring service, goes by the name of "Deadly Pandora"… I had that idea on mind last year already but to hide it I wrote silly messages there and there to confuse them and make them think it's unrelated… And my own code-name is Jade Panther… There are 3 levels of "Admin" guys too…"

"Jade Panther! Why not? It's cool!" Anaya grinned.

"So? Who are those "admin" guys, Mr. Opoulos?" Izono asked.

"Yes! Category 1: the ones in charge of materiel, resources and client contacting… Pearl Rex, Diamond Siren and Platinum Dragon… Category 2: the guys who handle field jobs which can't be trusted to the grunts… They are Sapphire Kraken, Ruby Phoenix and Emerald Pegasus… Category 3: general field work, control of the grunts and other jobs… Gold Puma, Silver Gorilla and Crystal Falcon…" He explained.

"Say… You named them after Gens II, III and IV of _Pocket Monsters_! But where did you get "Platinum"? I thought we only had Diamond and Pearl insofar?"

"True. But last month we got confirmation from Nintendo! _Pocket Monsters Platinum_! Giratina will be the star Pokémon and it will have an "Origin Forme"… There will be some changes to the Sinnoh region as well and to the storyline… It's coming out in September…" Yoru Yami explained with a grin.

"Oho. Then that little miss of the _Poké Special _manga is going to be named Platinum, eh? No wonder the authors named her "Miss" to begin with and decided not to risk it." Anaya sneered.

"Truly."

"Alright. Is there something else we should know?"

"Hmmm… Not really…"

"Did you find anything interesting in Brazil? It's worth it trying to set a branch there?"

"Well… It could be harder than in Japan..."

"Ah. Then forget it… What do you have in store for those guys?" Anaya asked as he ate some snacks.

"For the time being I've formed some traps into the "Cyber Desert" and access is already hard enough for anyone so… We still have control of the Internet City building thanks to the Gekkou units we deployed there: you saw them in action yesterday, my lady…"

"Yeah. Wait a min… Today… What day is it?"

"Huh? Sunday June the 15th, 2008…"

"2008… Summer…!" She suddenly frowned.

"Is something the matter?" Opoulos politely asked.

"Huh… I've got the hunch something was supposed to happen this summer but I can't remember what it was about… But I think I foresaw it some years ago…"

"Is that so?" Yoru Yami looked surprised.

"Or maybe I'm mistaking things. Don't mind it: I'll eventually remember or clear up what it's about."

"Roger, my lady."

"Tee, heh, heh. Things are about to get INTERESTING."

"Obviously." Opoulos grinned.

"This yacht is your base?"

"No. It's a temporary stop. We'll be moving to the facility I built near the Jawaii Islands: I've prepared simple quarters there."

"I don't mind it: not like I wanted luxury when living in the "Palace" either so… And no need to create a "dungeon" there… I'm not in the mood for those games for the time being… I don't want to call the attention and just write me down as a VIP guest. That's all."

"Delighted."

"They'll regret lowering the guard…" Izono grinned.

"Wasn't that obvious? Tee, heh, heh. I want to see them sweat and struggle A LOT. Twilight! Don't mind about those kids: but keep them alive for the show." Anaya told him.

"As you desire. However, I shall decimate those traitor mice."

"Of course. Prepare a grand demise for those mice. Tee, heh, heh!"

07:37 AM (Japan Time), Monday June the 16th…

"… So, Mr. Vadous… What can happen now?"

"I'm not sure. I dunno if Anaya plans on stirring up the underground to create a "background threat" and keep us nervous about having to fight in two fronts… Or else Twilight will come up with something similar to what he did last year…"

"Hum. More rip-offs?"

"Obviously, sir. The only thing they're good at… That and striking at random with no real objective…"

"Our first goal should be regaining control of the Internet City building: we can't allow them to use it to hack other Internet Cities across the globe like they did with ours."

"Of course not, Superintendent Manabe, but charging in without a plan is suicide, ma'am…"

Vadous (having blue contacts) was meeting with Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe.

He'd also changed to civilian clothes which were a white shirt, a black suit, an equally black tie and pants plus brown shoes.

"I know. I just felt like saying it." She sighed.

"Calm down, Manabe – kun. We don't want to dance at the enemy's flute tune, do we?"

"No, sir. You're right, sir."

"Bad news: the number of "Gekkou" units has increased further and the JSDF has been forced to seal off the whole area in a 300 meters radius of the building and divert all traffic…" Misaki came in.

"There's an operation in course to enter the sewers and try to cut off all electrical power to the building so as to stop all servers and be able to stop any attempts to hacking… But since the building has 3 emergency generators then… They will only lose some power capability."

"I see. Well. It's a risky gamble but…"

"But you lowlifes are doomed! Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Swallow Cutter!"

"Kyah!"

"Grah!"

"Fuck."

"Damn it!"

"Ah! The cowards!"

Swallow Man suddenly appeared on the doorway and shot an attack: Kifune and Manabe quickly crouched while Vadous did the same: Misaki flipped out of harm's way.

"Omega!"

"Roger."

Omega suddenly appeared behind Swallow Man and kicked him on the back with the right foot before driving his sword through the guy and having it emerge from the front: Swallow Man groaned but warped to re-appeared behind Omega: Omega turned around in a blur and kicked his lower jaw next: Swallow Man recoiled.

"Dark Generator: Activate!"

"Hmpf."

The sound of hear-beats rang out as purplish energy began to build around Swallow Man: he grinned and his eyes' irises flashed with a purple tint before he rushed for Omega.

"Swallow Drive!"

He entered flying mode and rammed into Omega to push him across the room and shatter one of the windows.

"Hah, hah, hah! Weak! Too weak!"

"Omega. I give you permission to remove the limiters."

"Fine."

"What? Limiters, you say?" Swallow Man gasped.

"I've fought with 80% of my power. But now I'll go at 100%: and you'll know what happened to that Cold Man MORON 3 years ago when he dared to mess with ME!" Omega hissed.

Vadous drew a gray Link PET and opened a holographic screen displaying Omega's FPV (First Person View) as he landed on the rooftop of the Net Police HQ and Swallow Man lost his earlier guts.

"… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah… Mwah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah! _Omega The Ripper_'s come~!"

"What in the… Where did that come from?" Vadous frowned.

"That'd be ME!" Yoru Yami suddenly formed a pop-up in the screen.

"Twilight. You moron. What's this about? Another MGS4 rip-off? Try not to spoil me too much! I've just gotten to the Vista Mansion and beaten that Laughing Octopus gal." He drily told him.

"No! Not MGS4! The future!"

"What, MGS5? Why don't they call you Spoil Them All Man?"

"Hah! Don't you remember Raiden's back-story?"

"… Ah. I remember. Solidus named him "Jack The Ripper"… So that's supposed to be a recreation of his "Ripper" behavior? If he was half-drugged with gunpowder in the food back in Liberia then it doesn't surprise me." Vadous wasn't impressed.

"Hmpf! I just had to sneak into your UFO during one of this guy's maintenances and change the "feral" program for the "Ripper" program in a way the terminals didn't notice… Blame Hal as well!"

"Oh come on. My computer is named Black Ace. And it's not an AI: it's a super-computer which can only play pre-recorded messages."

"Clever! Aren't cha?" He sneered.

"What else are you gonna bring from your expedition to the future?"

"I'd used those guys but that "Emperor S" beat me to it. It'd seem someone came up with them LONG AGO…"

"Hmpf."

"Maybe you'd want a Duo imitation?" Yoru Yami challenged instead.

"By all the… A Duo imitation? How hard to beat can that be?"

"Depends if I feel like rigging it with a bomb or not."

"So you mean to say my "Alternate" took profit of that and took them out by blowing their own bomb." Vadous deduced.

"Bravo, Holmes. I'll praise you yet! _Kyoudai_!"

"Sure, sure!"

"Listen up!"

"… Start." A voice rang out.

"Oh come on. You're gonna play back Liquid's lines in Act 1?"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"… Hrah! Hah! I want to cut ya to pieces! Hah, hah, hah!"

"Twilight – sama…! You've OVERDONE it, sir!" Swallow Man complained.

He was trying to dodge Omega's maddeningly fast dashes while maneuvering across the air but Omega could use his jets to try to chase him: he'd already gotten some wounds and blows.

"Hmmm… Maybe. If things turn ugly pull out…"

"Roger…!"

"… I didn't think it'd go so easily but… Hmpf! I see. Rather interesting results… Huh? _Kyoudai_! Been a while! Rejoice! We aren't copies of our father! We've been freed from the so-called shackles of "Fate"!"

"Don't tell me." Vadous drily replied.

"Snake! _Kyoudai_! We're free! Look on, Snake! I'll surpass my own origins!"

"You mean that you'll surpass Big Boss: the _katakana_ over the word "genten" tells me as much." Vadous calmly shot back.

"Eat plasma! Eat sword! Eat kick! Eat punch! Eat bite!"

"Bite? Twilight. You moron. You've overdone it."

"Hah! Not like his teeth will get bacteria on them." He shrugged.

"Jeez."

Omega suddenly bit Swallow Man's right wrist and he yelped: he quickly opened a lot of wounds across his torso and Swallow Man purposely dropped from the rooftop before de-materializing.

"Hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

"… Sigma's playing with Michelangelo."

"What in… The guy won't learn! The other day he tried to have him dance to the tune of the _Let It Be_ tune by having it go at different speeds: what will he do next, to try to recreate it as a program in the VR Room? And have it fly across the air?" Omega snapped out of it.

"Heh, heh, heh. Have fun… While you can! _Kyoudai_!"

"And stop spoiling us. Wait till I finish the game at least."

"Hmpf! Next time I'll bring some intriguing fellas."

"Who, the Covenant? I already saw and played _Halo 3_ last year. I dunno what they'll do next but I guess whatever they work on will have to wait for next year or the other: each _Halo_ game took 3 years to develop, after all…" Vadous wasn't impressed.

"Wait and see. Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh! So long, _kyoudai_!"

_Che. The meddling jerk! What is he going to come up with next time?_


	5. Chapter 5: Recon

**Chapter 5: Recon**

21:21 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday June the 18th…

"… Justin? Do you copy? It's me, Jasmine…"

"Yeah… I copy… I reached the main control room… It looks like they ran away in a rush… 3D sprites of the "Praying Mantis" PMC soldiers are in charge of the whole deal…"

"This is George… The main computer rooms have "Gekkou" patrolling them…"

"Alright…"

A girl on her late teens or early 20s was gracefully sliding across an air duct in the Internet City Control Center.

She could be over a meter and eighty tall and had short black hair.

She wore a black long-sleeved t-shirt along with black jeans, fingerless black gloves and black sneakers.

She had a pair of IR goggles with a built-in ear-phone and microphone on which hid her eyes.

She also wore a utility belt with two knife cases and two gun pouches: one was empty because she was holding a Beretta 92F-FS which had a laser aim and silencer equipped into its frame.

"I'm going to take profit that the room's been barricaded from the inside to try to stir some confusion into them… If only we could switch off the lights then I could use the IR goggles to aim and confuse them… And it's not like they know how to crawl across air ducts either…"

"Good idea, Jasmine… I'll try to find a way to cut the power there. Wait for me, alright?" George replied.

"Beware of your blond hair: it could bring attention…"

"Not like your green-tinted hair is stealthy, Justin…"

"Jeez. Let's just find a way to help Jasmine."

"Roger…"

Jasmine advanced a bit more and placed her gun's muzzle into one opening of the ventilation duct cover.

"About 18 of them…"

"Huff. 18. It won't be easy taking them out." George whistled.

"Don't worry… The "S" units are ready to assist from the rooftop, the only spot they didn't think of watching… Using the Battle Chip Area Steal they could warp there in silence and since they don't emit the usual IR profile a human does then that might confuse the "Gekkou"…" Justin whispered back.

"Good… I feel better with the "S" units as backup…" Jasmine smiled.

"But, really… The opening to MGS4 is surprising: you suddenly are in the midst of a Middle East battlefield and have to survive the assault of those "Gekkou" units… And then we get told why the heck we're here." George commented.

"Sure… Those weapons the terrorist-disguised Navi squads used and which Senator McIrranay of the Justice Council studied a year ago… That ID-locking system… It was taken from this very game. It'd seem Twilight hacked into Kojima Productions last year when the game was undergoing its debugging and final preparations plus other stuff… Given how the opening scene had already been recorded and implemented along with the meeting with Meryl and the others…" Justin exposed.

"Yeah. Before coming over we played until the end of Act 2 and stopped before the Act 3 Briefing… I'm surprised we finally got told the secret of Vamp's "immortality"… And that Raiden became a cyborg ninja… The way he tackled those "Gekkou" units was cool…" Jasmine admitted.

"Won't deny that… And we got told what happened to the PMC soldiers as well and _why_ Snake was aging in that manner as hinted in the Prologue of MGS2… The "Patriots" set that on purpose…"

"What a bunch of creeps. And now they came up with this."

"The so-called "war economy"… At least we know that the stuff Otacon and Snake recovered from "G.W." was a load of crap intended to be a blind alley since the "Patriots" per se are those AI clusters as that Drebin guy told us…"

"Sorry to cut the chat, but… What's the status?" Someone asked.

"Colonel Morgan, sir…! Justin and George will try to cut the power to the main room so that I can knock them out and we can install the program to survey the extent of the hacking…" Jasmine reported.

"Good enough. The "S" units made it inside and are waiting there as well to help you out… The mission is to infiltrate the command room and insert that program…"

"Roger."

"This is Justin! I met with George and found one of the power generators: we're disabling it and then we'll use delayed Chaff grenades we set around there and there to stun the "Gekkou"…"

"I approve. Be careful!"

All lights in the room save for the computer monitors' glows went off and the soldiers began to look around.

"I am commencing."

Jasmine calmly took aim and shot a dart at one of the soldiers: he collapsed and she quickly manually reloaded.

"The Chaffs went off! We're climbing the emergency stairs." Justin reported.

"We'll be there in one minute."

"Good. The "S" units are coming over from the left flank and will converge in 50 seconds too. They will be overwhelmed from all flanks: let's install the program and pull out quickly. The "Gekkou" can't go wild as much as they want because they must preserve the building's integrity so they'll surely send soldiers with pistols." Colonel Morgan replied.

"Understood."

Jasmine took out another 8 of the soldiers while the left side doors opened: Justin and George (green and blonde hair respectively) rushed in while the right doors opened too.

"The "S" units… Time to get out of this duct…"

Three men over a meter and ninety tall and having brown hair each stood there.

These men all wore attire identical to that of the three agents and their faces seemed to reflect them being on their 30s: they had the same equipment as well.

"Units! Knock them down!" Morgan commanded.

Jasmine opened the cover and jumped inside of the room: she rushed to the furthest computer in the row which was facing south inside of north and wasn't set in a group of two columns (there actually were four columns of one computer each: about 21 in total) while the others faced north: it was a clear indication that that computer belonged to a supervisor or chief instead.

"I'll insert the program: it only takes 68 seconds to upload using the hi-speed servers and since it's compressed… It'll de-compress on its own and then create clones of itself across all computers to feed data directly to the "Black Ace" super-computer Mr. Vadous has…"

"Exactly. And thus we'll be able to know how Twilight accessed the system and rewrote the terrain software and to see how we could change it or delete it… Either way a long reconstruction job will be needed to bring all services back online…"

"Roger."

Jasmine accessed the computer and inserted a small USB flash memory drive into one of the front USB ports: its LED began to blink and the "UPLOADING…" message showed up onscreen.

"How's it going?"

"All KO." Justin reported.

"We've locked the doors to be safe but they didn't get to send out a warning and I don't think Twilight went to the end of bothering to program them to report back."

"Surely not."

"… Perform that before they get in the way!" A voice rang out.

"Oh heck. Now he's gonna bring us Liquid's quotes from Act 2." Jasmine fumed.

"Che." Colonel Morgan fumed.

"Colonel Morgan! Colonel Olrik sent his greetings!"

"I don't know any Colonel Olrik!"

"Ahem, ahem! Don't mind it. The sacrifices are inevitable."

"I still find it strange to understand! Nanomachines or not a bullet in the forehead should've killed him for real. Unless the nanomachines provided some kind of extra resistance and the bullet didn't hit the brain… But Vamp's weird, yeah… And why did Raiden bleed _white_ blood? Maybe it has something to do with his cyborg status?" Justin wondered.

"Dunno. Maybe there'll be some explanations in the Act 3 briefing: if we take Raiden's words as a hint of our next destination then it's gonna be Eastern Europe…" George muttered.

"Sears Jr.! Are you going to succeed him?"

"By all the… Now he's mocking me 'cause I'm named George as in George Sears…! Go to Antarctica and study the penguins! Maybe you'll find the "Penguin" guy there too! Or Ra's al Ghul's hideout!"

"Ah! True. _Son of the Demon_, the 1980s story… Heh, heh, heh."

"And I gotta admit that the PMC soldiers climbing into Drebin's vehicle reminded me of sleep-walking guys or zombies." Justin fumed.

"Uploading: completed. We can pull out."

"Pull your noses in the Alaska cold!"

"Don't quote Vulcan Raven next!" George complained.

"Let's go!"

They ran out along with the "S" units and climbed up the stairs into the rooftop where they found a "Gekkou" ambush by about 10 of them which were using some kind of hover fields to hover 5cm over the ground.

"Shit. And this way there's no danger of their weight collapsing the rooftop…" George fumed.

"COME AT FULL POWER!"

"Eat these!"

"Hmpf!"

Sigma, Blood Shadow and Omega suddenly appeared on the rooftop and began to attack the "Gekkou" units: Sigma dropped his sword into the ground, lifted one by the main body and dropped it into the street while Blood Shadow landed atop one and placed his shotgun atop the central topmost dome: he shot and pierced the armor while Omega quickly cut the legs of one and kicked it out of the rooftop.

"Doctor! Open the "gateway" and retrieve them."

"_Oui_!"

Omega had opened a holographic screen which depicted a man.

This man looked on his late twenties or early thirties: he could be over a meter and eighty tall too.

His hair was combed in a neat manner and it was colored in an orange-like coloring while his eyes' irises were blue.

The man currently wore a white lab coat over a shirt and brown pants.

He had reading glasses on.

"Dr. Spimer, sir!" The agents sighed in relief.

"Back home! Good work!"

"Thank you, sir!"

A purple round "gateway" of sorts opened in the middle of the rooftop and the six of them ran inside before it vanished altogether: the three Navis kept on fighting the enemies back.

"Alright! Let's get ready to pull out too." Omega commanded.

"So! Ripper! Rip a ripping ripper!" Yoru Yami formed a 3D image there and taunted them.

"Sure, sure. Rip Off Man."

"RIP! _Riposarem In Pax_!" He made a pun.

"How clever of you." Omega drily replied.

"Sure thing." Blood Shadow was unimpressed as he blew up the right hip of a "Gekkou" unit.

"Mwah, hah, hah!"

Sigma jumped and plunged his sword into the core unit to pierce it: the thing frizzled and exploded but Sigma was already jumping into the air and making his eyes glow.

"Demon Fires!"

Two laser beams shot out and set fire to the legs of another "Gekkou" unit as well: it howled and fell down from the rooftop into the street.

"Soon! Soon enough…" He taunted.

"You're going to shave your chest's hair?" Vadous taunted over the radio.

"Hah! Good attempt."

"So? What's next? Vamp in person?"

"Nah! I don't want to be predictable. I'll think of something."

"And get brain-fever along the way." Vadous mocked.

"Hah! Listen up."

"… As scheduled."

"Yeah, I know. Vamp and Liquid's phone call at the end of Act 2: Omega, Sigma and I got there as well." Vadous shrugged.

"… As I'd thought. It wasn't pure enough. We need the complete body."

"Sure, sure. I'm not sure yet what "complete body" is but Vamp mentioned "the guy's blood" and it meant Snake… It surely has something to do with Liquid's and Snake's DNAs… Wait… I see! So the "original" Vamp talked about is Big Boss…"

"Bravo, _kyoudai_… Heh, heh, heh! I know it. It's a matter of time over here. We're rushing to locate their hiding spot. You head over here as well."

"And "over here" is Eastern Europe… And "they" must be that "small resistance group" Raiden mentioned having worked with to locate Big Boss' body… Leaded by someone named "Big Mama"… And in exchange he got told Sunny's location… So Sunny must be the "child" of Olga Gurlukovich… She does have some resemblance to the mother, I'll admit that…" Vadous muttered.

"Bravo, Holmes!"

"Go hunt deer, Moriarty."

"Why not…"

"Naomi mentioned "artificial blood transfusion"… So Raiden's white blood means his blood has been replaced by artificial blood… His whole body seems to have been redesigned… But unlike Gray Fox this isn't an exoskeleton: the tech must've improved since then." Omega brought up next.

"Let's hope he can be saved…" Sigma sighed.

"Yeah. And we gotta figure out if we can stop the "Guns of the Patriots" plan thing to take control of the "SOP" System…"

"The MGS Club, eh?"

"Sure. Your Boss got inspired by those to begin with."

"I won't deny that."

"So! You built her a palace with Italian marble?" Vadous taunted.

"Che! Shut your damned trap."

"And brought her Madonna's perfume?"

"SHUT YOUR DAMNED TRAP!"

"Twilight! Don't fall for that." Anaya scolded in the background.

"I apologize, my lady."

"So! Maria. You finally stuck out your worm-tongue."

"HMPF! My viper-tongue, yeah." She shot back.

"You think you're funny." Omega drily told her.

"What would a guy like you understand?"

"That you don't know what IMEI means."

"What? IMEI? What the heck is that? Twilight! Answer me!"

"Huh? International Mobile Equipment ID… The physical ID of the mobile phone itself… It can be seen under the battery or else by typing asterisk, pound key, 06, pound key… It's made up of 17 digits… And split into 4 blocks… TAC, Type Approval Code, 8 digits… The first 2 signal the country this phone was made at… There's the SNR or Serial Number next, 6 digits long… The Spare, 1 digit… And the FAC, Final Assembly Code, 2 digits as well… If the Spare is 1 then the number is valid, but it's 0 then the number isn't valid… It's also used by GSM networks to ID the phone…" Yoru Yami described.

"Huff! Alright! This guy was just laughing at me. But don't start yelling like that 'cause it makes you look and sound LAME."

"I shall not offer any excuses."

"Whatever. Show's over for tonight! _Laugh and grow fat_!"

"Let's pull out!"

"Ou!"

"Roger."

The "gateway" formed again and the three of them vanished from the scene: Yoru Yami's hologram snickered and vanished too.

"… Hmpf… I see… Quite a show…"

"Mwhroh, hoh, hoh, hoh…"

A guy about over a meter and sixty tall was riding in a motorbike while wearing a reddish sleeveless vest which was open over a black t-shirt plus jeans and sneakers.

They also had a black motorbike helmet with a blood-red-painted simplistic eye drawing.

Their PET was colored red and orange and had that same drawing as the emblem but the Navi was not projecting.

"_Partner_. Patch me to Priest – sama. I gotta report."

"Sure, Operator – sama~… Kidding. Openin' the Maginot Line~…"

"Jeez. Priest – sama overdid it when he programmed you, really…"

"… Past… What's the status like?" A distorted manly voice asked.

"Priest –sama, sir… It'd seem some operation has been carried out in the building and it succeeded nevertheless despite the odds…"

"Good… Head back already to your place… You still have some busy days left and you don't want to call the attention yet… You know what I mean, right? Over…"

"Roger, _My Master_… I only need 45 minutes to get there, anyway." "Past" shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, Past. Just don't push yourself too hard either. Over and out."

_Yes, Priest – sama… We're still not ready but one day… Heh, heh, heh…_


	6. Chapter 6: Green Tiger

**Chapter 6: Green Tiger**

16:58 PM (Japan Time), Friday June the 20th…

"… Hey! Red… Tell me already! What's that job ya have been doing for the last few days?"

"Jeez. Green. Ya don't need to know. Crystal said that already."

"Screw that Crystal fucking jerk."

"I can't. This is the only way to stay away from the cops."

"Che! You're too soft."

"I ain't soft: I robbed 12 stores in a row."

"So tell me: spy on a hot chick?"

"Jeez. No. And you're not fit for that kind of job anyway."

"Why not?"

The guy with the red gazelle as motorbike helmet sticker was discussing with another having a green tiger sticker inside of a warehouse somewhere which had various bikes each with their stickers on the seats: there were a total of 12 of them there.

"Jeez. 'Cause you're not the patient type, you'd try to go for some stunt and doom us all. I still find it weird you were allowed to come in but I guess you somehow managed to lie to Crystal and the others about your "successful 35 hits in 7 years"…" The guy named Red told Green.

"Oh come on! Tell me already. Was the chick hot?"

"It's not about any woman. I had to survey some clever guys who wanted to start up an LSD distribution network 'cause they could be useful to us in the near future…"

"That sounds like something ya improved."

"I can't tell you anything. _Need Not To Know_."

"Don't screw me, man!"

"I'm not."

"Ya are! Tell me already: I wanna have a thrill with that chick!" Red was being nosy by now.

"Stop day-dreaming already! You moron! I told you: no women are involved into this and now go drink Budweiser with the others while ya chat of the latest soccer game!" Green snapped.

"I don't feel like it until ya confess."

"Go tuna in Norway!"

"The chick had big stuff?"

"How many times do I need to tell ya? It wasn't a woman!" Green was getting exasperated by now.

"Horny legs?"

"NOT A WOMAN!"

"Blondie~?"

"NOT A DAMNED WOMAN!"

"Smug?"

"WRONG!"

"Slender, tall?"

"GO TO HELL!"

"Sure. Gimme a ticket to get there." Green taunted.

"ENOUGH!" A voice yelled over a speaker.

"Grah! Red! You had the line open?"

"Yeah! Crystal! Do something about this moron!"

"Green! You've got a new job."

"Fine. What's the job about?"

"Go hit some guys who are trying to be competency there, in Densan City 3rd District. Get on the move there, make some ruckus and get back here on the double. Gotcha?"

"Sure."

Green climbed into his bike and left: he reached a cross-road and waited on the traffic light: he suddenly chuckled and opened the rear box to take out a Heckler & Koch sub-machinegun which he hid inside of his suit without anyone noticing.

"Heh, heh, heh. I got my hands on the camera feed ya recorded while ya were away, Red… I dunno why Crystal wants the guy to monitor some brats but I'll be smarter than them and hit 'em! I'll prove I'm a genius and I'll be ascended, even. Heh, heh, heh."

"Oi! Green! You're on the wrong road!" Crystal warned over his radio all of a sudden.

"Hmpf! Crystal… You're so stupid, really!"

"What was THAT?"

"I'm gonna replace ya!"

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Hmpf! 'Cause I'm gonna do the big bosses a favor."

"A favor…? Oi! It couldn't be!"

"Yeah! Those two brats Red was filming the whole time while avoiding that cop car… I'll hit 'em!"

"I FORBID IT!"

"Ya can't stop me!"

"I'll send the other 11 to stop you!" Crystal growled.

"Why would they care?"

"'Cause they're smart enough to obey and live!"

"That's not being smart: that's being an idiot."

"You're the idiot, Green!"

"No! I'm the genius!"

"Red and Purple are coming to stop you: we can do it nicely or by the force! And if needed we'll dump you!" Crystal hissed.

"Whatever! You guys lack any real thrill."

"This isn't about thrill! This is about keeping our existence discreet!"

"Too bad!"

"You lowlife! Jade is gonna have your head in a silver platter!"

"Screw Jade and you guys! I'm a genius!"

The guy sped up and headed deeper into the city until he stopped close to the "Game Soul" Game Center just as Netto and Saito were coming out (they had their middle school uniforms on) and were chatting: Green veered the engine and aimed with the right hand.

"Listen closely, Crystal!"

"You idiot! Stop it!"

Suddenly, though, Saito tackled Netto into the ground and, since Green was already pressing the trigger, he only hit the wall and made some paint jump off: the bike ran past the spot and he cursed.

"Aha-hah! Not so genius anymore, eh?"

"Impossible! You told those kids?"

"No! But hi-class bikes like yours are rare here and they make a lot of noise… People instinctively want to find out where is the noise coming from and they must've seen you so risked it… Heh!" Crystal sneered over the line.

"Fuck. Screw you guys! I'm off!"

"I don't think you'll get too far."

"What?"

A "Dimensional Area" suddenly formed around the district and Blood Shadow materialized right in front of the bike's path while aiming his shotgun at the front wheel.

"Charged shotgun shot!"

The blast landed to the right and forced Green to instinctively lean his bike left but he overdid it and fell from it while it skid across the ground and halted there with the engine still on: he groaned and tried unloading his rounds into Blood Shadow but they did nothing.

"Hmpf! Net Navi skin is armor: mere bullets can't harm it! You damned assassin!"

He lifted him with the left hand and violently had the guy hit the nearest wall to knock him out despite the helmet.

"Phew! Close, TOO CLOSE!"

"Yeah… Thankfully enough Rock Man has a trained sense of hearing so he can notice other noises… And they were warned about the mysterious bikes wandering around…" Sigma sighed over the radio.

"The Net Police are on their way here but something tells me Twilight didn't intend for this."

"Wouldn't surprise me if these are hired hit guys…"

"Blood? Did you get them?" Netto asked: his voice was shaky.

"Yeah. We did."

"… Good…" Saito weakly muttered.

"Shit. They've gotten a scare which will be hard to shake off… They escaped death by inches…" Sigma cursed.

"And when Boss gets a hold of this he'll explode. What an afternoon: just today, when they finished their 2nd year, and this had to happen…"

"Fuck. "KO"! The jerk! It's that jerk's fault to begin with!"

23:14 PM (Honolulu Time), Thursday June the 19th…

"… Jade! You won't believe this."

"What, Sapphire?"

"Crystal called Platinum. And he called me."

"As per the chain of command…"

"Green Tiger!"

"What's the problem with the guy?"

"The son of a bitch!"

"But what happened?"

"He almost killed those two!"

"WHAT?"

"Yeah! They ducked just in time and then they arrested the guy… Luckily they knew little stuff but now they'll know our name and part of yours as well…"

"I don't care about that. Why didn't you control the idiot?"

"We thought we were doing that!"

Opoulos had been sitting in an armchair inside of his office room when his cell-phone had rung: he didn't look surprised at the first but when Sapphire relayed the news he did stand up with violence.

"What about the others?"

"Stable enough, luckily enough… They always had some trouble with the fucker and ended up in brawls…"

"Whatever. We won't move a finger about the damned idiot. Let them rot away in some prison forever!"

"A-alright, Jade."

"And watch those guys, Sapphire or else…!" He hissed.

"Y-yeah, leave it up to us, Jade…"

"Huff!"

Opoulos placed the phone on the desk and growled something in what seemingly was Greek under his breath.

"Now I'd like for Zeus to fry the guy to a crisp with one of his lightning bolts, I'd really do." He muttered with some sarcasm.

There was a knock on the door and he unlocked it: Yoru Yami stepped in and looked slightly surprised.

"Mr. Opoulos…" He called out.

"Yeah. Laugh all you want, Doctor." Opoulos sighed.

"Eh… But I didn't intend to…" He trailed off.

"This isn't a time for going formal. You've heard already, right?"

"Eh, yes, but… I wanted to report that my little show is finally set and will start running on Saturday… That would help win time to erase all trails and move the remaining bikers elsewhere… They should be split into smaller groups or disguised as some motorbike club but…"

"The stickers give them away… Guess we'll have to quit using them: and relocate all them won't be that hard either…"

"I sent my minions to start planting blind alleys already: that "Octopus – han" hacker could be called up by the "Committee" to do them some little job of fishing around so…"

"You really haven't figured out their ID?"

"_Kyoudai_ didn't leave any notes on "Black Ace" and Omega's memory files had too many protections to them to enter in a sneaky manner and they've surely been enhanced as well given the little trick I set on the guy the other day…"

"And Blood Shadow and Sigma take turns watching so…"

"I don't think the Net Police know either."

"Of course not… They're supposed to arrest those hackers, or, rather, those black hats which pose a threat to others."

"Yes. But previous actions of the guy suggested he was more of an info-stealer at the start than a black hat…"

"Huff. I'd like for the guy to go study Google's algorithm and figure out the best SEO tactics to apply them into web positioning."

"SEO… Search Engine Optimization…"

"What do we tell Ms. Anaya?" Opoulos asked.

"Hum. They'd get to learn sooner or later so… I'll handle that. They will get annoyed but I guess playing MGS4 will cool them off… They ended Act 3 already and are about to begin Act 4 so… That will keep them busy for the time being." Yoru Yami sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Huff. Alright. You handle that. I'll handle the bikers."

"Roger, Mr. Opoulos…"

"And try to see if you can lure that hacker by offering him access to an anonymous account with a juicy amount of money there… They're still human so it should inevitably lead them in and the "Darkloids" could trace him back to figure out who they are…"

"Why not… It's a good idea, yes… I'll put it into practice during the "show" which will happen on the "Cyber Desert"… The building is still ours and they're seemingly waiting for us to make a move…"

"Or to figure out a way to dispose of the "Gekkou" in a neat and efficient manner… Which there must be…"

"There is but I'd rather not disclose it: I wouldn't like to spoil IQ – sama."

"Huff. I'm too tired and it's almost midnight. I need some sleep and tomorrow we'll see that so-famous "show"… Good night."

"Huh! Good night, Mr. Opoulos…"

_Green Tiger, you fucking son of a bitch! Rot away and do us a favor!_

19:19 PM (Japan Time), Friday June the 20th…

"… WHAT?"

"Yeah, Charles… Like I told you…"

"Unbelievable!"

"I know."

Charles had been working on something using a laptop computer on his apartment's living room when Davis materialized in front of him to report the news: he gasped in horror.

"What did they figure out?"

"Vadous went there and brought _sake_ to make the guy confess plus making them get cocky… There are another 11 bikers, 9 "Admin" guys and the Boss, "Jade"… They form "Deadly Pandora"…"

"So the "deadly Pandora" messages we found last year were in truth the name of the gang but since they mixed in some other silly messages we thought they were blind alleys…! A lot of noise and garbage from where you can't figure out what's worth checking out and what isn't…! Twilight must've helped the jerk to come up with that."

"Sure… But the guy didn't know much more either… He only knows the names of the 9 "Admin" guys and they're all named for Gen II, III and IV of _Pocket Monsters_… He's heard rumors that some of them have names of "higher" animals or mythological animals but they're unconfirmed. He did know that "Crystal" was "Crystal Falcon" but the radio on his motorbike was sabotaged by Cloud Man who showed up there and provided a brutal overdose of electricity to make it impossible to salvage…"

"Che! Cloud Man. The jerk…! I still remember how he sneaked inside of the "Justice Council" HP by disguising as background clouds…!"

"Cool it own, Charles. Maybe we need to go and practice some more VR simulations with them to keep their minds busy."

"Oh yeah. We need to find a way to help them recover from the shock."

"See? Dr. Lartes doesn't want to try to suppress that memory because he thinks that would be unfair and hiding from reality… I know that the incident in January with that Grave Man guy was shocking for Saito but nevertheless he's seemingly overcome it somehow. Maybe by appealing to their sense of duty…" Davis trailed off.

"That could work… By the way…"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Maybe the guy is gonna come up with the miniature "Gekkou" units next to sneak around unnoticed and listen in… It surprised me how they were able to combine 3 of them inside of a coat plus a hat to make it look like it was a human…" Charles brought up.

"Good point. But that "slaughter" scene spooked the hell outta me even though we should've seen it coming knowing what Liquid was aiming for and Snake's warnings to Meryl at the train station which she didn't pay heed to… I'm surprised that, in the end, the worm wasn't able to fully destroy "G. W."… As the guy said… "You guys' worm didn't do much more than finely slice it up. It was possible to repair it." … And since the thing was already part of the network, then "J. D.", the master AI, didn't recognize it as an external threat…"

"I know… It was nice to see EVA again even if she was so old but at last we got told how the "Patriots" began… Major Zero was the one which started the whole thing up… And "Dr. Clark", the researcher which fitted Gray Fox into that exoskeleton, was Para-Medic… And the DARPA Chief happened to be SIGINT…! Big Boss was infuriated with the "Les Enfants Terribles" deal and then created FOXHOUND…"

"Huff. Alright. Let's save the _MGS4_ chat for later. Now we gotta stand united and fight back whatever comes next." Davis sighed.

"I know… Shit! All of the safety measures and they almost became vain: unless there was a Lazarus Pit for real… But let's not think of that."

Davis slowly nodded while sighing and looking worried while Charles stood up and brandished his right fist in a menacing manner…


	7. Chapter 7: Zoanoroids

**Chapter 7: Zoanoroids**

09:19 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Ugra~h!"

"… Can you understand me now?"

"… Ugh… Huh…?"

"Heh, heh, heh... Interesting… I don't remember having expanded this far but maybe my Lord came up with some new system to do this… We'll expand our domains into this world too…"

A tall figure dressed with a greenish robe and hood was standing in front of a normal Navi in a system somewhere: the Navi looked disoriented while the figure was muttering aloud in a slightly familiar tune of voice and being amused.

"Let us go! Let us be scouts for the glory of our Army!"

He walked away while the Navi remained there: the figure jumped into the air and landed atop an advert banner before spotting something: they jumped back into the road and headed for a firewall.

"Firewall… I hadn't seen any of those before. This world's Cyber World technology has progressed… No wonder. But soon enough… All shall serve us and we will destroy those damned interlopers!"

They extended the right arm, which had some kind of green wrapping similar to a fruit which covered the forearm: six spokes surrounded the opening from where the right hand came out.

"I need some time… Heh, heh, heh. Something tells me I'm going into the right direction. Maybe there are some clues about "it"…? I'd heard rumors that it was slipped into this world. But without any more clues… We can't just search a whole world: there aren't enough of us."

The firewall began to glow with a pale greenish color and faded altogether to reveal an opening.

"Let us go!"

09:33 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Kugra~h!"

"Hah! No big deal. But now I can speak you guys' idiom."

"Huh… Huff…"

"Take a nap over there. Heh, heh, heh! Let's hope I've beaten those damned mice to scouting…"

A large-sized figure not to tall in height covered by a brown robe and hood which also had a golden fastener over where the neck would be looked at a knocked out Police Navi inside of another system somewhere: their voice was also slightly familiar and two white "eyes" could be seen inside of the hidden head area.

"So! I guess there was no war here. Obviously. Hence why a Cyber World exists to begin with."

The figure stepped along another road and looked around: they were almost deserted to begin with.

"They must be afraid of stepping into our territories, the footholds we've established in this _parallel world_… Heh, heh, heh. No big deal. I've got a hunch of where to hit to gain profits for us."

The figure ended up reaching another firewall and they studied it while chuckling under their breath.

"Firewall! I'd heard of these. I've been briefed in. Alright! Let's get past it and figure out what's beyond it… Heh, heh, heh."

They suddenly drew two large cylinders having a main orange body: two parallel straight red lines surrounded the central section which had some curved yellow bands stacked together: the cylinder had a red upper edge from where a white lance emerged.

"Nyah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah…"

They touched the firewall with them and electricity began to flow across its body while they kept on chuckling…

09:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Fuck and shit."

"Enzan – sama, sir?"

"What, Blues."

"Ah… I apologize."

"Whatever. I can't shake off that of yesterday!"

"… True, sir…"

"Fuck. We should've acted sooner but they didn't think it'd go to such extremes…!"

"Enzan – sama, sir. Knowing that Anaya Maria was intended on capturing them back when the "Crisis" then it's obvious that she wants them alive: it was already established that the man was acting alone and without any official approval, sir…"

Enzan was looking out at the city from his IPC VP's office room and cursing aloud: Blues, inside of the PC, looked concerned.

"I knew that, by damnation!"

"… Saito…!" Blues muttered.

BEEP – BEEP – BEEP!

"Huff, huff! Blues – sama! An intruder, sir! They got through the "A" Level Firewall!" A Security Navi rushed into the PC.

"What did you say?" Blues gasped.

"The "Neo Gospel" jerks? Let's go!"

"Roger, sir! Store all data servers in a safe location and change all passwords: increase the security level!"

"Roger, sir!"

"I'll be going, Enzan – sama!"

"Go!"

Blues rushed into the system and was in time to spot the figure step into the Cyber World using security sensor imagery.

_Huh? Who's that? Cosmo Man, Swallow Man or Yamato Man?_

He could see that their right foot was colored in three shades of green ranging from brighter to darker: two reddish bands split the three sections of the foot.

_What a weird foot design. It doesn't match. A new grunt? _

"… Stop right there!"

"Are you an industrial spy?"

Two Security Navis rushed in and aimed their Mega Cannon Battle Chips at the intruder.

"Oh. You're speedy. Yet… How strong are you really?"

They suddenly drew two large vines while the Navis shot at the intruder: Blues seemed to frown.

_Where have I heard about that before?_

"How is it, Blues?" Enzan asked.

"I'm still not sure of their ID but they're hostile, sir."

"Get there."

"Roger, sir. I will take a detour because I don't want to risk bypassing the defenses to then activate them again: they could use that window to slip further inside, sir."

"Fair enough."

Blues began to run down a corridor while the imagery showed the Security Navis being tied by large vines filled with thorns and they tried to keep on attacking but the intruder didn't seem to notice the rounds.

_Shit. I better hurry._

10:04 AM (Japan Time)…

"… By the Motherland!"

"Laika – sama?"

"Che! Damned psycho!"

"Ah. The incident of yesterday…?"

"Yeah. I still can't believe that guy was going to shoot them for real: the security detail failed!"

"I know, sir… But at least they're alive, sir."

"By mere inches."

"… Yes, sir… I know, sir…"

Laika was cursing aloud in the Science Labs' main room: he had a half-empty cup of coffee placed in front of him and his coat had been placed on the back of the chair: he'd left the PET at the right of the coffee as well and Search Man was projecting from there.

"If this was Sharo I'd send them to the firing squad!"

"They'd deserve it, sir. Killing 35 persons in 7 years…"

"Those idiots! They could've tried to screen the guy and see that they were a bother: so they would have gotten rid of them!"

"Yet, Laika – sama…"

"Search Man – san!" A security Navi rushed in.

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"There's an intruder from the Cyber World, sir! They've gotten through the main firewall by somehow disabling a segment of it!"

"What? Hurry over there!" Laika gasped.

"Roger, Laika – sama!"

"Shit. The "Neo Gospel" jerks hit us back."

"Surely, sir."

"Go!"

"Roger, sir!"

Search Man rushed down the avenues of the Cyber World and checked security imagery of how explosions rang out inside of the main perimeter and then 6 Security Navis were retrieved.

"Hah! How fragile." The intruder taunted.

"Hmmm… They're not Cloud Man but none of the other "Neo Gospel" enemies are that bulky…" Search Man trailed off.

"Some new grunt?" Laika wondered.

"It could be, sir."

"Let's hope it's not a rip-off."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it were the case, sir."

"Whatever. How much time do you need to get there?"

"18 seconds, sir!"

Search Man rushed into the main area and began to shoot with his Scope Gun: the intruder jumped into the air and the robe wavered before they landed back at lifted their right arm: their right boot, colored yellow and orange and being bulky as well, could be seen.

"Hah! You look worth the great me's time."

"Who are you?"

"Hah! You fragile Net Navis don't need to know."

"Scope Gun!"

"Huh! You lowlife!" The hit deleted their robe.

"Huh? I think I remember this guy." Laika frowned.

"Searching the database… Match found…"

10:13 AM (Japan Time)…

"… That's as far as you come!"

"Huh? Who…?"

Blues dashed past the IPC intruder while swinging his sword to cut the air: their robe broke into pieces and got deleted.

"… You're…? Searching database…! Match found! Plant Man!"

Indeed: Plant Man was the intruder but his color palette had been changed in some spots.

To begin with, his head's colors were a shade of pink and vermillion while their eyes were tinted in a reddish color.

The openings running down from his neck were colored brown instead: their shoulders and arms had a darker shade of green too.

His main body remained unchanged but the dots on his body were colored red.

His emblem had been replaced by another: a simple golden six-pointed star set against a blue background.

His legs' colors began at white and started to go down the scale of greens until it reached dark green color.

His vines started with a dark green color while they got brighter as they reached their end.

"… Plant Man? Oh. So! It'd seem there's a similar one with this name in this world…"

"You lowlife… You mean to say that you _aren't_ Plant Man?"

"It's disagreeable to name us "Zoanoroids" like that… Attach "Zoan" before it."

"Huh? "Zoan", you say?"

"Correct. If you're going to call me "Zoan" Plant Man then call me that."

10:16 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Spark Man, you say?"

"… No, sir… They're different from Spark Man… The data is different, sir."

"Who are you guys?"

The Science Labs intruder was a Spark Man with a new color palette.

His main body color was a shade of dark orange with a brighter shade on the sides of it.

His eyes' irises were a golden-like color.

The arms also had orange, yellow and red colors including the shoulders yet the lances kept on being white.

His emblem was a bluish drawing which seemed to be a bird set against a red background.

His boots were also colored orange and the square shapes inside of their central stripe were dark green.

"The Net Police! Behave yourself."

"In short: you guys are protecting this Cyber World, so as to speak?"

"What are you babbling about?" Search Man looked suspicious.

"Spark Ball!"

Spark Man (or, rather, "Zoan" Spark Man) formed one of his "Spark Balls" and shot it at Search Man.

"Scope Gun!"

The Spark Ball exploded but the culprit had escaped during the confusion: Search Man gasped and looked surprised.

"They fled?" He wondered.

"Weird. Maybe it's another "hit-and-run" tactic?"

"It could be yet… Something about them is reeking, sir."

10:20 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Yellow Flower!"

"What? A new move?"

"Zoan" Plant Man lifted his arms and formed a (literal) yellow-colored flower which opened and began to let out yellowish spores: Blues wasn't too surprised.

"This guy…!"

He shot a Sonic Boom through the spore-filled air to cleanse it but he then spotted that the guy had escaped as well.

"Where's the guy at?"

"Che! Back with the "hit-and-run"…"

"Enzan!"

"Laika. What happened?"

"Spark Man."

"Spark Man? I got Plant Man. But he was being weird."

"Why?" Laika asked.

"He babbled about "we Zoanoroids" and also about being named "Zoan" Plant Man instead… And he talked like he was surprised to know there'd been a Plant Man here… Almost as if he was convinced he'd been the only one to ever exist… His emblem was different." Enzan described.

"Spark Man acted weird too. He was mumbling aloud as if he'd just realized how things worked here. As if he was a foreigner…"

"The data was odd as well." Search Man added.

"This guy had a new move too." Blues told him.

"Maybe Mr. Vadous could help us?" Enzan suggested.

"Good idea. Let's call Netto and he'll patch us to him."

10:40 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Though the defensive strength of "Beyondard" cannot be compared to ours, sir… But, as we'd thought… It wasn't zero, sir."

"Kruhu~h…"

"Zoan" Spark Man was kneeling inside of a rather unlit space somewhere which contained a large concrete wall where a 3D pyramidal body aiming downwards has been sculpted at: two rectangular red "eyes" had been carved into it and his emblem's drawing had been sculpted above them: it seemed to be some kind of face and it produced some kind of bird-like pitchy voice.

"… It's the Net Police, sir…"

"… An organization named "Net Police" exists in "Beyondard"… And it'd seem they're managing the defenses, sir…"

"Zoan" Plant Man was crouching as well in front of a large egg-shaped rock from which various lances protruded from the sides: his emblem was set at large scale atop the shape while two red eyes had been carved into the lower edge: circuit-like patterns could be seen on the walls extending left and right of the main object.

"Grrrr…" A beast-like growl rang out.

"Yes, sir. We should definitely be able to win this war by occupying "Beyondard", sir…"

"Grrr…"

"What in the…! The "Falzer" are progressing into "Beyondard" too…?"

"Grrr… Grawlll…"

"Yes, sir! I won't let them do as they like, sir."

"Kryu~h!"

"… Yes, sir…! Please leave it up to me, "Zoan" Spark Man! Sir! I won't let the "Greiga" guys do as they please, sir!"

10:47 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huh? Why. Rock Man, Blues and Search Man… What's the matter?"

"We couldn't establish a communications line."

"Sorry. Boss is reworking the wireless transmission encoding algorithms to try to prevent Twilight from hijacking them…"

Rock Man, Blues and Search Man came out of a doorway set in a circular wall and into a large central plaza which had a 3D globe of the Earth spinning on its very center: a red dot with an elliptical orbit was drawn orbiting the planet: Omega had been doing something with a holographic screen and he turned to greet them.

"Well. We met two rebuild "Darkloids" who were acting weird or so Blues and Search Man told me." Rock Man told him.

"How's that?"

"They were colored different, their data was different and they talked about weird stuff." Blues summed.

"They named themselves "Zoanoroids" and desired to use the prefix "Zoan" to their names…"

"Oh heck! Hence the desert scenery!" Omega cursed.

"Why?" Netto asked.

"Well… Hikari. Didn't Kuroshiro tell you guys last summer? About "Beyondard"…?"

"O~h! I remember now! A pa… pa… what was the word?"

"_Parallel world_, Netto – kun!"

"Alright! A _parallel world_. Yeah. There were two large "Cybeasts" there who had "armies"… So those guys…?" Netto gasped.

"Reconstructions. Twilight must've worked on this ever since January: they want to make the "Greiga" and "Falzer" armies spread across Earth's Cyber World while thinking the war's still raging."

"Oh heck." Enzan cursed.

"Lovely. How many of them are there in each side?"

"I'm not sure myself. We didn't bother to figure it out: we just wanted to try to put an end to everything soon." Omega admitted.

"We met Plant Man and Spark Man."

"Ah. They gotta be scouts."

"Of course… When in new territory send scouts first. Assess the defenses, if any. And then report back… Hence why "Zoan" Spark Man was muttering things like he was a foreigner who'd just realized what the Net Police is…" Laika realized.

"I guess the "Cybeasts" are included."

"Oh heck. And how are we gonna beat those things?"

"Boss was wise enough to analyze the "Synchronizer" and copy over its ability to erase "Juuka Inshi" or "Bestialize Factor"… We could assemble a bomb which we could make them swallow… In the meanwhile their sorties are gonna increase…"

"Crap." Rock Man muttered.

"And they can "bestialize" like Swallow Man did… They get tougher to beat and all of their specs are lifted… Don't lower the guard when it comes to facing them."

"We won't." Blues calmly replied.

"Any particular weaknesses?" Search Man asked.

"Not really, apart from their natural ones…" Omega sighed.

"Heck. Things are escalating now… We gotta stop them before they can overrun us." Rock Man cursed.

"That's obvious… Or else the Cyber World will be ruled by them!"

_Damn it, Twilight! I, Omega, will beat your puppets! Come out: face ME!_


	8. Chapter 8: Sorties & beasts

**Chapter 8: Sorties & beasts**

12:12 PM (Japan Time), Saturday June the 21st…

"… Hmpf! So you came!"

"So! What's your game?"

"That's my question! You lured me here in purpose!"

"Hmpf!"

"Zoan" Spark Man appeared inside of a Cyber World somewhere: "Zoan" Plant Man was standing while giving the back to a control panel for some device or another and smirking.

"… "Falzer! Come to the antenna!"… I came as you desired! You Greiga Army! What are you doing here, in "Beyondard"?" "Zoan" Spark Man demanded.

"You Falzer Army lowlifes! Why did you show up in "Beyondard"? You're advancing?"

"You guys! You aim to invade "Beyondard"?"

"Rose Needle!"

"Spark Wave!"

"Zoan" Plant Man shot several needles from his vines while "Zoan" Spark Man crossed his lances and flung electricity at the position of "Zoan" Plant Man: none of them noticed how Blues and Search Man came into the area as well.

"We followed the origin of that weird broadcast here… And like Mr. Vadous said: they hate each other so they're fighting to the death by now." Blues muttered aloud.

"Maybe they'll do us a favor and kill each other. But we should avoid collateral damage or harm to civilians hence why we've already sealed up all entries." Search Man calmly suggested.

"Grrrr! Fukyu~h!" A growl and a screech rang out.

"Oh! Greiga – sama?" "Zoan" Plant Man gasped.

"Oh! Falzer –sama?" "Zoan" Spark Man gasped too.

"Grrr… Grawll…

"Kyufyu~h…!"

"Ah! Them! The "Net Police"! Don't get in the way!"

"We'll take care of you lowlifes first and then we'll settle it! You lowlifes are on the way!"

"Shit. Twilight must be imitating the signals from the "Cybeasts" to them to have them fight us instead." Blues growled.

"Whatever. Let them come."

"We Greiga Army will achieve victory! Rose Needle!"

"We Falzer Army will achieve supremacy! Spark Ball!"

Both dodged their initial attacks and the enemies grumbled.

"Sonic Boom!"

"Scope Gun!"

The Sonic Boom cut through the giant vines "Zoan" Plant Man was about to unleash and opened a wound on his body while the Scope Gun hit Spark Man's chest.

"Damn you!" "Zoan" Plant Man was pissed off by now.

"Shit!" "Zoan" Spark Man hissed next.

"Zoan" Plant Man began to convulse as his feet suddenly gained a new form: the color bands grew into foliage, the emblem's star expanded while the edges of his formation gained a saw-like pattern.

His vines extended as well and some new stripes formed on his forearms too plus thorns protruding above his shoulders.

His voice became weird too.

"That's "Bestialize"?" Blues wondered.

"Careful! The other is going for it too!"

The red edges to "Zoan" Spark Man's cylinders grew in size and formed three paws each which his boots' sections became escalated from less wide to wider: they all gained a central triangle body aiming upwards and the green stripes narrowed: a brownish piece formed where the toe fingers would be at and three red paws emerged.

Large curved horns formed from the sides of his shoulders while four thorns emerged from the circle surrounding his neck's base.

The three openings on his forehead vanished and the front part of the head armor lowered to form a sliding triangle: his eyes became mere yellow stains as well and three new openings formed over it.

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Che. Twilight!" Both cursed.

"Zoan" Spark Man plunged his lances into the ground and produced streaks of electricity which flew towards them at a mad speed thus electrocuting them.

"_No pain no gain_!"

"Zoan" Plant Man made his vines dig into the ground and they emerged at random at a quick speed, scratching the bodysuits of both of them due to their thorns.

"Go!"

The vines trapped both of them and they got electrocuted without stop: suddenly, though, the "Lightning Rod" Battle Chip formed there and absorbed all electricity before reversing its polarity and making it land on "Zoan" Plant Man.

"You lowlife! I'll settle it with you first!" He growled at "Zoan" Spark Man all of a sudden.

"Hah! I'll smash you yet! Spark Ball!"

"Yellow Flower!"

"You guys OK?"

Omega landed there and quickly cut the vines: both sighed in relief and then looked at how both opponents were fighting each other.

"We gotta delete them if we want to survive." Omega told them.

"Fine. They're a threat to Network Society."

"Let's go!"

"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Flame Sword! Slot In!"

"Blade mode: Wood! Let's go~!"

Blues and Search Man landed their attacks on "Zoan" Plant Man and he recoiled, growling, while Omega opened a vertical wound across "Zoan" Spark Man's body.

"It can't be that I lost to the likes of the "Beyondard" Navis…!"

"Impossible~!"

"Zoan" Plant Man broke down into raw data and then formed several circles of data which shattered into millions of raw bits and bytes: the same thing happened to "Zoan" Spark Man as well.

"Phew. We won, somehow." Search Man sighed in relief.

"But those were scouts. There's still a lot more to tackle. At least we secured a route into Internet City. We can expect to find more of them there or across the Cyber World as well."

"We should take a break and then go hunt more."

"Sure. Today's gonna be one long day. I've got that hunch."

"Damn you, Twilight! I'll make you become the Pink Man yet!"

"Boss… Save the sarcasm for later and let's move out."

12:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright. We get told there's trouble on this furnace system and I see what the trouble is. Flames everywhere and heat… Luckily enough I have a "Dream Aura" to protect me for the time being…"

"Maybe we could use the Monolith to warp water from somewhere to here and put them out, Davis?"

"It's not a crazy idea."

"Hah! You lowlifes stepped into the trap "Zoan" Flame Man of the Greiga Army set up!"

"Flame Man?"

Davis had come to a system filled with flames and had begun to try to come up with a strategy along with Charles when a "Zoanoroid" appeared from further in.

They had an irregular spheroid-shaped body encompassed by a reddish fireball: four legs formed from it to support him.

His face had two simple red eyes on it along with a mouth.

His emblem was set on the front and depicted a yellow-colored flame.

The legs were thin and had four brownish rings on the front ones: they ended in orange feet-like extensions with an upper brownish edge: the inwards sides of the feet-like extensions had a cut off segment thus making it be slightly shorter in height: the rear legs had three rings and ended in a brown rectangle with a metal piece facing northwards.

His mere appearance radiated an aura of heat.

"We'll need a Water Attribute Folder."

"Leave it to me, Davis. I'll win time with the Monolith. Battle Chip, Monolith! Slot In!"

A black slab about two meters tall and almost as wide as a person formed there: its front cover vanished and revealed an opening into nothingness.

"_Bye-bye, honey_!" Davis taunted.

"Wha~t? Chaos Flame!"

He summoned golden flames which fell from the sky but the "Monolith" became transparent and then vanished as silently as it had appeared: "Zoan" Flame Man gasped and didn't see it forming over him.

"_It's raining, man_!"

A torrential downpour of water fell atop him and boiled when it made contact with his flames: they were put out and revealed a simplistic body which was a mere grayish spheroid with many square openings spread across its three levels of height.

The front legs were actually his arms because they had round brownish shoulders with an opening in them.

A white band protected the base of the neck which also had openings to form flames.

A thin white extension linked with another flame-producing device and an inverted dome from which legs began.

"I-impossible! Where's all this water coming from?"

"We borrowed it from a spare aquarium tank, ya see~… And now…" He grinned.

"Program Advance! Justice Blade, Triple Slot In!"

"Golden… BLADE~!"

"Hah! Don't underestimate me~!"

He suddenly warped and appeared in another spot: his flames formed again and switched to golden color before becoming green along with a pair of candles in the ground: Davis' Program Advanced bounced off and a hit a wall instead.

"Shit."

"Mwah, hah, hah! I'll burn you like the insect you are! Chaos Flame!"

12:53 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Ice Man! Are you sure the "evil" Number Man you saw is here? I don't see anything odd."

"Yeah. Maybe they already changed locations…"

"Shield and Chain!"

"What?"

Rock Man got into a building somewhere and began to look around when a voice rang out and a large flexible grayish tube shot out of nowhere and coiled around his upper body: it was very thick so Rock Man got immobilized and lost balance, falling into the ground: the end of it had a cylinder with an upper red half and a blackish body having four white thorns on its body.

"Hah! You lowlife fell for the trap the great I set up! The Falzer Army's "Zoan" Punk!"

"Not Punk Man?" Rock Man sarcastically wondered.

The tube was pulled back at the source and Rock Man was turned to face his opponent.

"Zoan" Punk could be over two meters tall overall.

His head was shaped like a dome and party hidden by the upper edge of his upper body: it was colored red and had his yellow eyes with red irises on them which were surrounded by black armor aiming NW and NE: a "punk" style orange crest with four extensions popped out from atop his head.

His shoulders were red spheroids connected to body via white tubes the NW and NE corners of which had a metallic gray body and formed a needle from them: a dome-shaped cover had been built to protect them.

This dome's main color was red: the area around the base of the needle was black and so was the lower edge: eight needles protruded out of it and each had a small black triangle aiming north over their positions.

The left arm ended was formed by a flexible segmented tube like the right arm in a reddish cylinder having a black bracelet: eight needles popped out from it and a grayish hand was there.

The right arm was the one which was coiled around Rock Man and holding him into the air.

His main body was a large spheroid the upper edge of which drew a curve which was what hid his mouth.

It had a central white circle with a patch of white extending from its base and covering the whole of the lower end: five triangles emerged from the white edge around his Falzer Army emblem.

Two towers with triangle ends aimed towards the chest as they came from the rear.

A black plain cylinder linked that with the lower body which was a smaller reddish spheroid.

The hips had three needles emerging from them and a thin gray band marked the start of the legs themselves which were black and plain until they reached the knees.

The knees had a red diamond with a band circling them and a central needle emerging from it.

The boots' main color was red and they began with a "V" cavity below the knees: they then gave way to two pyramidal pieces colored in a bright shade of gray: a small triangle which extended backwards could be seen as well: two dark grey bands marked the boundary between the three pieces.

A needle formed from the outer sides of each boot while a plain circle was drawn on the inner side.

"You sure look like a punk. You sure you shouldn't be going to a disco there and have some fun?" Rock Man sarcastically told him.

"What's a "disco"?"

"Not like you'd understand, invader."

"Mwah, hah, hah! I thought you'd be the crybaby type..."

"I'm a veteran."

"Then my idea to bring you to Falzer – sama was bright!"

"It isn't yours."

"What?"

"The guy who rebuilt you guys set into you and you're his proxy."

"Wha~t?"

"You guys are but his pawns: even Falzer and Greiga are part of his machinations." Rock Man dully told him.

"Who's that punk?" He growled.

"Twilight's the name." Netto shrugged.

"Where are they?"

"I dunno but he's the one who created that "desert" too."

"Whatever! I'll settle it with the jerk later! For the time being you're gonna become a Falzer Army member once Falzer – sama grants you his "Juuka Inshi" to you! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Shah, shah, shah! Needle Cannon! Messy Shooting!"

"Ugrah!"

"Clear Needle!"

"Gruoh!"

"You're… Needle Man!"

"Shah, shah, shah! Been a while~…"

"Yuriko?"

"That's me, yeah. I requested to be allowed to help fight these guys back and Detective Misaki is with me."

"Hra~h!"

"Gruo~h! DAMN YOU~…"

Needle Man suddenly bombarded "Zoan" Punk with his projectiles before using the left forearm needle to slice the right arm and free Rock Man: Prism Man showed up next and plunged both of his forearms lances into his body next: Yuriko opened her window.

"Why! Ms. Yuriko. It's been TOO long." Yoru Yami's voice echoed.

"Maybe." She wasn't impressed.

"Surprised?"

"Not really. I was expecting you to show up sooner or later."

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU~!" "Zoan" Punk howled.

"Careful. He might "Bestialize"…" Prism Man warned.

His boots' front edges began to compact and recede to give way to three golden paws.

He rebuilt his right arm and then formed a white "H" object which could be daggers aiming vertically on his wrist: new armor formed and gained three golden claws connected to a circle aiming downwards.

Three small curved "wings" with white ends popped out from inside of each dome's back and front: they aimed downwards

A gigantic piece of armor got overlapped over his face and main body and created the shape of a nose and of a mouth.

His left forearm gained four white paws emerging from the wrist.

He suddenly dashed forward and rammed into Needle Man and Prism Man but Rock Man was able to duck and dodge.

"Battle Chip, Shotgun! Slot In!"

"Shotgun!"

"Shield and Chain!"

He expanded one of his domes to act as shield and bounced off the attack before shooting his left arm towards Rock Man: it shot past him but then returned and bound him again.

"Grah! This punk is starting to annoy me!"

"Needle Cannon! Messy Shooting!"

"Eat these!"

"Zoan" Punk, however, pulled Rock Man and had him be the receiving end of the attacks: he then let go of Rock Man and tossed him into the ground as the arm returned to the normal length.

"Heck. Omega wasn't kidding." Netto hissed.

"Double Go-Round!"

He detached his domes and they began to spin as they flew across the air towards them.

"Battle Chip, Hi Cannon!"

"Needle Cannon!"

"Hrah!"

The attacks deflected the spinning domes and left the guy open for attacking.

"Let's go! Battle Chip, Sigma Sword! Slot In!"

Rock Man wielded the Sigma Sword and it glowed with a white glow before he ran forward and hit the floor with it to produce a Dream Sword attack: it impacted "Zoan" Punk Man and he howled as some wounds opened on his body.

"T-that thing's over-powered…!" He growled.

"Give it up!"

"Shah, shah, shah! That's as far as you come!"

"Mad Roller!"

He jumped into the air and crouched into a fetal position as both domes expanded and fused to form a gigantic spheroid with the two needles popping out of the sides and his crest as well.

"Whoa!"

He ran forward but Rock Man placed the Sigma Sword horizontally: "Zoan" Punk bounced off it and got stuck into a wall.

"Now! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Needle Cannon!"

"Eat these!"

"Impossible~! Mugro~h!"

He was finally defeated and everyone sighed in relief: Rock Man groaned and rubbed his body.

"Sorry for that." Needle Man apologized.

"Don't mind it. We couldn't have expected that anyway."

"I hope we're beating the hardest of them because…" Prism Man grimly muttered.

"I know." Yuriko calmly replied.

"Hum. "Zoanoroids", huh…" Dr. Wily muttered on the background of her window.

"This isn't going to be easy but it isn't like we expected it to be. There's no other way around but to continue on fighting them back and prevent their "invasion" from succeeding." Misaki sighed.

"Sure thing! It took me a while to find out the weakness to that "Zoan" Flame Man guy…"

"That guy was a nightmare!"

"Really?"

"Really."

Davis appeared there while having a lot of burn marks to his body and looking beaten: Charles looked tired too.

"We'll have to take a break. Say, that doesn't explain why Ice Man told us to come here… And it wasn't a hologram." Netto frowned.

"Good point."

"Guess it was "Phantom Navi"… Remember that Cache guy whom Twilight deleted in a creepy manner 3 years ago?" Davis sighed.

"Oh yeah! Yikes. That was CREEPY."

"Speaking of that… Twilight will surely bring out his jelly warriors again to try to overwhelm us by numbers…" Charles warned.

"Good point. Let's go rest."

The Navis left but failed to notice a figure looking from a rather unlit spot of the room.

_Turn them into an army member, eh? Why not… If they have that much potential… There should be a way to compensate for the lack of the Operator but guess the "Juuka Inshi" will do that. Heh, heh, heh. Good idea, you Falzer mice… I'll be copying it! Heh, heh, heh! _

The figure vanished while Guts Man strolled past the building while apparently looking for something.

"De guts! Guts Man will find the treasure, de guts!"

"Heh, heh, heh! And this time around… Meiru – chan will recognize me as her hero: 100% chances of success! Dekao – sama says that!"

"Niichan! You _baka_. Chu! Yaito – chan said the treasure tale was made up for her to test ya and ya failed the test. Chu!" Chisao complained.

"Wait for me, Meiru - chan! I'll prove my brains and strength! Ooyama Dekao is a genius with capital G! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!"


	9. Chapter 9: Bold and sudden

**Chapter 9: Bold and sudden**

15:56 PM (Japan Time), Saturday June the 21st…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Zoan Number Man!"

"You summoned me?"

"I have a mission for you."

"Excellent."

"I'll be transferring the data to you: just get on the move. And if you find your lookalike then you can take them out too."

"Yes! I'll prove there's only room for one Zoan Number Man in the entire Universe!"

"What are you guys chit-chatting about, huh?"

"Ah! The VIP Warrior…"

"We've come up with a strategy to gain a new member which seems to promise a lot of potential…"

"Oh? Sounds interesting…"

A figure was talking with "Zoan" Number Man inside of the rather unlit location which seemingly was their base of operations.

The main differences "Zoan" Number Man had with the original was the use of cyan as the main body color together with orange for some other spots: but apart from that he was rather identical to the original Number Man.

The two of them had begun chatting a when a voice boomed out of further inside: both faced someone out of sight.

"We will execute it right now. I've prepared for someone else to act as distraction and we'll soon be able to deploy our soldiers."

"Excellent."

"There's also a tool to inflict confusion between them."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Someone tried to come up with "Phantom Navis" made of cache data which aren't as resistant as the original ones but can imitate them well enough too…" One of the conspirers let out.

"Tell me more… "Zoan" Dark Man."

The other conspirer was a never-before-seen "Zoanoaroid".

He looked about a meter and ninety tall: he wore a purple half-open cloak over his body the edges of which were colored purple: its main color was navy blue.

Two large "horns" emerged from cyan circles around his shoulders: the circles had a small arrow pointing east and west respectively: these "horns" were colored in a brownish/blackish patch of color: his cloak formed a curved shape around the head which aimed downwards in a 45º angle.

His head emerged from a neck-guard which had a shape reminiscent of a badly drawn Alphabet "U" letter.

His mouth and nose were covered by white bandages and the rest of his head was set inside of a small glass dome: his eyes didn't have irises and they were colored yellow: they seemed to be slightly elongated and curved rectangles instead.

The center of the cloak had his emblem drawn on it which acted like the connecting point for both halves: the drawing was similar to the top part of an axe with short spears point up and down: the whole set was painted in a navy blue color: a small grayish piece was set beneath it: the piece seemed to indicate the end of the upper body.

The legs were colored on that brownish/blackish color, too: the boots had an upper navy blue edge with three sapphire-colored diamonds set on them: the lower half was colored purple and ended just as the place where the tooth fingers should begin at: the feet ended in one single triangle-shaped extension: a small one emerged beneath the feet and seemed to be used as additional support.

"Heh, heh, heh. Yes, VIP Warrior… Well. The plan is for "Zoan" Number Man here to distract the target by battling in a sloppy way. That will cause for them to get confident…"

"To get confident, eh? I like how it sounds. And then?"

"Then I approach from behind and I use my axe weapon to inflict a wound on his body and insert a paralysis program. Between the two of us we open the "Fossa Ambience" and we warp them here so that Greiga – sama places "Juuka Inshi" on them…"

"Excellent."

"The only flaw is that I have to find a manner to compensate for lack of access to their "Battle Chips" but maybe there are copies left in his own cache memory so I could try to get the data from there and recreate some of the strategies…" "Zoan" Dark Man admitted.

"Hum. Well. We can work on that later with time and patience."

"Roger."

"By the way… Did you see that weird puddle?"

"I saw it, sir. But I didn't pay attention to it, sir."

"It's odd. It's vanished but without leaving any traces… Could that have been some Falzer device to spy on us…?"

"Hum! Then I better hurry before they can get ahead of us."

"Yeah. Head over there immediately, you two."

"Roger, sir!"

Both ran out and the figure mumbled something under his breath before stepping away: but they failed to spot Cloud Man hidden high in the ceiling and grinning.

"Heh, heh, heh. All according to the plan… You guys can't begin to realize the nice show you're staging for the audience out there!"

_Twilight – sama is a genius and you can't rival his brilliance!_

16:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Number Tembou!"

"Battle Chip, Long Blade! Slot In!"

"Long Blade!"

"Grah! Dice Bomb!"

"I kick it back."

"What! Uwah!"

Rock Man was battling "Zoan" Number Man atop a half-erased tower which had been part of the Internet City but now was one of the very few buildings standing out in the middle of the desert it'd become: "Zoan" Number Man formed a stick with a red dot and tried to push against Rock Man's Long Blade: he then tossed a "Dice Bomb" at Rock Man but he calmly kicked it back as it was a soccer ball: it exploded in front of the guy and he grumbled.

"I'll get serious! Hroa~h!"

"Coming." Netto calmly muttered.

The "Bestialize" look of "Zoan" Number Man made his boots' knees gain a pyramidal form: his shoulders got spikes on them and his forearms changed to include four small flaps on their NW, NE, SW and SE corners while his fingers became three claws.

His glass sphere got two needles protruding from the sides too and his mouth became "fierce" along with the shape of his eyes: the patterns inside of his "brain" became patches of random size and length.

The main body changed to form a monster's shape with yellow pupils and a "mouth" which was wide open as well.

"Number Man A La Beast?" Rock Man sarcastically taunted.

"Wha~t? How dare you! I'm above that lookalike!"

"When you _bother_ to bring out your full power, yeah…" Netto grinned.

"Damn you~… Number Ball!"

He tossed a Number Ball but Rock Man calmly sliced it up and then kicked the "jaw" of the "monster" to push him back: the enemy tried to plunge his claws into Rock Man but he aimed the Long Blade at his neck to keep him at bay.

"_Game Over_. And you don't have any _continue_ left."

"Crap! By Greiga – sama! This can't be happening!"

"Yeah. It can. And you stay there." Someone announced.

"Huh? That voice…"

CLANG!

"You lowlife!"

"That's my motto."

Rock Man turned around to see Zero floating there and having his sword drawn: he'd deflected a purplish and black axe "Zoan" Dark Man had flung towards Rock Man.

"What the… There was an accomplice!"

"This guy recycled the idea of that "Zoan" Punk jerk."

"Damn it." Netto cursed.

"Crap." "Zoan" Number Man gasped.

"Damn you! Die!"

"Zoan" Dark Man got into his "Bestialize" form as well: his shoulder horns grew and gained cyan diamonds into them while his feet gained some new claws on them.

His coat opened a bit and the shape changed slightly too: the edges got cyan diamonds on them as well.

His head and neck gained a more "menacing" look and the upper edge seemed to have gotten thicker.

"Killer Beam!"

He shot a yellowish beam at Zero but he suddenly formed a Curse Shield which bounced it off and hit "Zoan" Dark Man instead: he groaned and recoiled while Zero began to cut across his armor: "Zoan" Dark Man tackled him away.

"Get lost! My strategy is flawless!"

"Oh yeah? You copied it from your rival, you know?"

"Go to Hell!"

"If you'd show me the road…"

"Dark Shadow!"

He formed the axe and flung it at Zero but he calmly let it hit the Curse Shield instead and the Curse Shield flung it back at "Zoan" Dark Man making his annoyance rise.

"You go to Hell! Hrah!"

"Impossible! I can't have lost to the likes of… GROA~H!"

"T-that's impossible!"

"Zoan" Number Man gasped as he saw how "Zoan" Dark Man got deleted by Zero plunging his sword through the guy: Rock Man then formed the Sigma Sword and plunged it vertically into the ground.

"Eat this!"

A beam of white energy shot from the ground and propelled "Zoan" Number Man into the skies to then fall from the tower into the sand just as a stampede of "Juuka" Viruses rushed past that spot thus deleting the guy without intending along the way.

"Another thing copied over from "Beyondard", huh… Thank you, Zero! We owe you one." Rock Man sighed in relief.

"Don't mind it, Rock Man. I was fed up with these jerks and their dirty play: the sooner we storm their bases the better… Let's go back."

16:31 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Warrior… I bring a report."

"Ah. "Zoan" Guts Man…"

"Zoan" Guts Man was colored purple in the arms, shoulder openings and legs plus upper head.

His main body was colored in a magenta color: his legs had an outer white line and a black main body.

His jaw and base of the neck was metallic white.

"Yes, sir… I witnessed how the strategy failed… Someone got in the way and both "Zoan" Dark Man and "Zoan" Number Man got deleted… They're impatient to try to hit us at our bases." He spoke in an intelligent manner and using the "watashi" personal pronoun.

"Hah. The fools… They don't know that the fallen ones grant more power to Greiga – sama… And thus Greiga – sama will be far stronger by the time they manage to find our bases…"

"True, sir."

"Do as you like. And if you find a damned Falzer rat dispose of them firstly: like this soon our master will settle it with the damned Falzer to see who rules this new world and our world!" The figure sounded amused.

"Excellent, sir."

"Come, you herd of fools… You're craving your own graves!"

"Correct, sir… Heh, heh, heh."

_Heh! Guess that, yeah. The Cybeast guys won't be easy to take out no matter how hard you try… Heh, heh, heh. _Cloud Man looked on.

"Huh? Is there someone else there?"

"No, sir… You're over-reacting, sir…"

_No! The guy isn't but that doesn't matter anyway. Heh, heh, heh!_

16:52 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So, Boss… How far did you get? I've ended Act 4."

"I began Act 5… But gotta say that the REX VS RAY battle was totally worth it… And going back where it all began… Shadow Moses… Abandoned to be reclaimed by nature… And full of memories… Now we know how Liquid was planning on bringing that thing out of the base… There was that cargo tunnel thing…"

"Sure… We gotta be careful with the "Zoan" guys: they're eager to try to turn Rock Man into one of them…"

Omega had come to talk with Vadous on the command bridge: Vadous looked tired and Omega was calm.

"Really… When Drebin told me in Act 2 that it was totally impossible to access SOP from the outside I was wondering how Liquid was aiming to do it… And when Naomi brought up the requisite of needing Big Boss' vitals data I was surprised too… So Solidus existed to have him serve as a spare access key…" Vadous muttered.

"Yeah… And Snake was right when he told Meryl that Liquid couldn't be taken down just by mere force… It turned out that the guy had rebuilt "GW" and was using it to get control from the inside… I call that a clever trick… And it caught everyone with the pants down as he proved to the soldiers… Locking their weapons and disabling their machines on the spot… Thankfully Otacon smuggled the Mk. II onboard and they figured out Liquid's next goal…"

"Sure… And we finally got to put an end to Vamp although Naomi choose to die already because she might have thought she'd finished all her work in life… First was EVA or Big Mama… And now Naomi… Plus Big Boss: everyone's dying here… And Snake doesn't have much time left either: in 3 months his FOXDIE will become a bio-weapon…"

"Well. It's not like MGS2 had a really "happy" ending because we were left with the enigma of who the "Patriots" really were… The last line was enough to scare you… "What the hell are those guys?"…"

"I know… Anyway… We'll see what happens. I'm starting to like how you can interact with the environment in the Mission Briefings and sometimes find some surprises like those three hens named Solid, Liquid and Solidus…" Vadous shrugged.

"By the way… Where's Dark Miyabi at nowadays?"

"He'd gone investigate a possible hint related to those guys and Raoul is also doing that overseas as well…"

"Ah. Good. We need to make sure we're not going to have something like yesterday… Maybe it's ironic, but since it was the 20th… Once would've rather expected it to happen the previous Friday…"

"Oh come on. Don't start talking about that. I had nightmares yesterday night and barely managed to fall asleep at all… Guess everyone is plagued by that but without intending it Twilight provided something in which we can channel our thoughts…"

"Sure… Well. I rather go prepare some new strategy and I'd say we take a rest for the rest of today and resume tomorrow, fresher… I don't think those guys will rush it and if they don't find us they'll find each other and kill each other." Omega calmly exposed.

"Obviously… Later."

"Later."

Omega calmly walked out of the room while Vadous hummed a tune and typed into the console keyboard.

"Let's contact Chief Lezareno to see if he found anything…"

He opened a communications line and a man showed up onscreen.

He was on his forties and could be over a meter and ninety tall: they had an athletic build to them.

His hair was colored in a blonde color and was neatly combed although it had reminiscences of a military haircut given the edges.

He was dressed in a gray trench overcoat, a black sports suit and pants.

"Chief Lezareno? Do we know anything else?"

"Not really apart from the names of the other bikers but it'd seem they went by a code-name basis too… But we've established one thing: they're interested in hiring Octopus – han…" He smiled.

"Oho. Oho." Vadous looked amused.

"Yet… It could be that they want to ID them too… They must hope to lure him into accessing an account controlled by them and then trace him to figure out their ID."

"Ah! So they want to play clever." Vadous fumed.

"Obviously, sir. What should we do, sir?"

"Hmmm… We'll do as they want but we'll use my computer instead: we'll gather some defense forces because I think Freeze Man would rather stay so if we have my three men and Zero… I'd call Davis as a possible backup as well… That wouldn't confirm anything: they already suspected that Octopus – han was hired by me so…"

"Excellent."

"We'll be in contact. Chase all trails you can as well."

"We've located the origin of the choppers and the seller, some guy in Taiwan, admitted that they'd been used by North Korea in the past. 3 men came buy them and they signed with their codenames: Emerald, Ruby & Sapphire…" Lezareno added.

"Fine. At least we cleared up that spot… Keep it up, Chief."

"Delighted."

The transmission finished and Vadous formed a smug smile.

_Heh! Twilight… So you want to ID Octopus – han… And you think you can have him hack me or someone else… Too bad but I won't let you: I'm going to bring up an IDS which is based off the Patriots' one even…_

He chuckled under his breath and looked amused…


	10. Chapter 10: Of vain fighting

**Chapter 10: Of vain fighting**

08:37 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 22nd…

"… Hisss… Yes, Falzer – sama… Count on "Zoan" Snake Man"…"

"I'll be watching."

"Do as you like, "Zoan" Gate Man… Heh, heh, heh."

"Fine."

Two "Zoanoroids" of the Falzer Army had been receiving orders from the rock which seemingly contained "Falzer" itself.

"I'll poison our enemies! My slow and subtle poison will drive them to despair and chaos! Heh, heh, heh."

"Zoan" Snake Man could only be told apart from his Earth counterpart by his different color palette.

His main skin was colored in a shade of olive green, brighter than the original Snake Man's one.

The body used a bright brown type of coloring while his arms' greenish and yellowish coloring remained unchanged: the "waist" was colored purple as well: the Falzer emblem was set over his hands.

His attached jar had dull brown as its primary color along with a red stripe half-way across its height where the emblem had been set at as well: three small jets producing dull bluish/grayish flames popped out of the underside.

"Fine. But if you find someone with potential then infect them with "Juuka Inshi" to weaken them and Falzer – sama will make them become one of our army as well…"

His pal, "Zoan" Gate Man, was a new type of Navi who was about a meter and sixty tall or maybe closer to a seventy.

His head had a mask covering the face colored in an orange-like color and his eyes' irises were but two red dots over a yellow "eye" or pupil.

A reddish piece of armor protected the forehead while a thin brown armor layer shaped like an ascending arrow surrounded the front edge of his head armor which was rather thick because it integrated golden "hair" which reached past the chest.

His yellow spheroid shoulders had an orange dome covering the upper half, a metallic ring attached to them, and his arms sprouted from there: they were covered in sturdy brown metallic armor over bright brown "skin" and his hands' "skin" was exposed: they were black in color.

His chest armor was brown too and he had a metallic octahedron set there with a thin vertical stripe running across its height and splitting in two, creating two "gates" which could be opened to draw a teal brown cannon with three blue dots on each side of it and a triangle-shaped muzzle.

His lower body and legs' coloring was of a brighter brown with two dull brown stripes running down from below the chest and across their legs before the boots began.

These boots had a main dull metallic brown color and only protected until the ankle: a thin black cylinder supported them, sprouting from the plain yellow "feet": the boots' end had a small square slot which allowed one to see those "feet" and the front included partial armor to allow them to attack with the front of the feet: the soils were brown in color.

"Delighted! I'll complete "Zoan" Punk's strategy!"

"Zoan" Snake Man left and "Zoan" Gate Man chuckled under his breath: he heard a splash sound close by.

"Huh? What?"

A puddle of a silver-colored liquid had suddenly formed right behind him and apparently from nowhere at all.

"Where did this come out from?"

The "puddle" suddenly began to stir and "rise" to give way to a humanoid shape having some kind of blackish helmet over their heads.

They also had the shape of eyes, a nose, a thin human-like body with two arms and legs, and two intimidating knives instead of hands.

They were about "Zoan" Gate Man's height.

"What!"

The thing suddenly jumped into the air and spread their arms wide as if they were going to cut across it: "Zoan" Gate Man gasped.

"Remote Gate!"

A large prism-shaped metallic body formed: two doors leading into blackness opened and he ran inside as they closed and the object disappeared: the enemy landed on the ground and the "Remote Gate" formed again behind them: he formed a cannon weapon colored brown body, red dots and a pyramidal muzzle which popped out from the chest.

"Gate Cannon!"

He shot a blast of energy which pierced through the thing and it dissolved into the puddle form only to suddenly rise again and give way to _four_ of them.

"I-impossible! Ma no Te! Demon Hand!"

He formed a crude large purple arm which ended in a five-fingered claw and which gripped two of the enemies to make them explode as if one had pierced a balloon: stains flew across the room and landed at random before crawling across the ground and forming a new puddle from which another 8 enemies formed.

"Shit! Is there no end to them? "Zoan" Kendo Man!"

"You called? What in the… What are those things?"

"Like I knew! Try to help me out while I think how to beat them!"

"R-roger."

"Shit! Gate Cannon! Eat this, these AND THESE!"

"Hah! Eat sword!"

"Zoan" Kendo Man was also a new type of Navi.

He could be a bit taller than "Zoan" Gate Man and, like his name pointed out to begin with, was designed to resemble a _kendo_ fighter clad in the full armor.

His helmet had the traditional guard built over the face which was wholly blackened and only his eyes (having red irises) were visible: the ear-pads were set at the sides and a metallic fang curved upwards protruded from above the helmet while three spikes aimed backwards.

The helmet and the neck plus shoulder armor was colored in a blood red type of color: it also extended across his back and down it.

The chest was colored in navy blue color and his Falzer emblem had been set on the center of it: his arms had dull red armor on them which included a pattern of four black dots connected between them near where the elbow would be at: there was a thin golden round piece of armor circling it instead.

The arms were colored in a bright red color and the forearms included extra armor with a rectangular prism cavity cut into them: two squares colored yellow and blue were set inside.

The wrists had square black holes cut into them and his hands were gloves which fused the four fingers together and left the thumb finger apart.

The waist armor used that dull red coloring as well and included the four plates with a trapeze aiming downwards cut into them: the main form of the waist was a round circle with a climbing dome above it plus a black band splitting it into two close to the start of the legs: there was another stretch of armor before the legs began.

The legs were surrounded by solid leg armor or pants colored in a shade of purple and being rather unadorned save at their end where they had two yellow squares a circling band: the legs were shaped like diamond prisms then the dots were split by one of the corners.

The feet were plain, colored in the dull red shade and had little volume but had five fingers each.

He wielded a _kendo_ sword with a brown hilt and yellow energy body plus a small gray metallic band near the upper edge and a cap.

"By Falzer – sama! What are these? Some Greiga weapon?" "Zoan" Kendom Man gasped as he tried to hold them at bay.

"Damn it. How could they come up with this?" "Zoan" Gate Man wondered next.

"Hah! Those aren't ours but they led us here."

"Mwah, hah, hah! You're over!"

"Shit! The Greiga Army next!"

A figure followed by "Zoan" Guts Man suddenly appeared there while all fighters suddenly stopped and got warped out of the room: a field of energy formed and wrapped the rock which contained Falzer as if to impede them from getting in the way.

"Hmpf! I, "Zoan" Colonel… Will win!"

"Zoan" Colonel appealed as being close to two meters tall in height.

His main body had a black suit which ended in a Scottish skirt like piece of armor.

His helmet had a triangle-like form which extended forward and included a small red triangle with golden rims on it.

His ear pads had no drawing on them and black hair came out in pointed shape behind the partly open helmet: his eyes' irises were green.

The armor had high neck and his face was protected by a red-colored structure.

His shoulder pads which were placed at the sides of his shoulders were colored white and each had a small rectangle cavity on them.

His left wrist had a metallic bracelet which ended in a blade-shaped extension over the hand's palm while his right forearm had a red capsule object set there.

A pale green saber emerged from there: the opening had four white-colored teeth-like pieces set around it.

There was a gap between the chest armor and the skirt around the stomach area and the emblem was set at the start of the skirt: a yellowish-colored octahedron with a metallic gray circle was set there on the center: a gray-colored line formed around the upper edge of the skirt and then descended across the middle of it: four pyramid-base-shaped yellowish shapes were drawn on the lower edge of the skirt: two per side.

His emblem was set on the middle of the waist circle.

The Navi also sported black boots with a thin gray-colored pattern bordering them which started a little below the knee and one small vertical yellowish rectangle slightly above of where the feet fingers ended at.

He sported a blue silk cape which fell slightly short of reaching the ground and emerged from beneath his shoulders.

"Mega Guts Punch!"

"Uack!"

"Shit. Gate Cannon!"

"Colonel Cannon!"

"Zoan" Colonel formed a Tank Cannon on his right forearm and shot it: the mere size was enough to overcome the Gate Cannon's round and hit "Zoan" Gate Man: he cursed and stood up.

"Ma no Te!"

"Screen Divide!"

"Zoan" Colonel drew his saber and formed a greenish streak of electricity which travelled across the ground while carving a pattern: it cut through the "Demon Hand" too and hit "Zoan" Gate Man again: the blow made him fall to the ground and he groaned.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Weak! Too weak!"

"Fuck. Remote Gate!"

"Hah! No matter what you try… I'm invincible!"

"Hah! This fool can't hope to stand to me, "Zoan" Guts Man!"

"Shit."

"Zoan" Kendo Man managed to get to his feet but it was obvious that his battling style wasn't adequate to face "Zoan" Guts Man and his close-quarters attacks.

"Shockwave!"

"Fuck."

"Gate Soldiers!"

"Zoan" Gate Man opened his chest's doors and some small enemies which had a main pink body, brownish arms and legs and a black cone-shaped head.

They had simple white eyes drawn there and wielded a small lance on their right forearm plus a metallic green shield on the left one: a streak of brownish hair jumped out from behind them.

"Go!"

"Gate, Gate, Gate~!"

They rushed over to "Zoan" Colonel and began to attack from different heights and angles: the numbers were too much for the guy to handle and "Zoan" Gate Man chuckled.

"Oi! "Zoan" Kendo Man! Handle that guy. I'll get rid of that other."

"Fine!"

"Bring it on, twerp!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Ma no Te!"

"Zoan" Gate Man clutched the chest emblem of "Zoan" Guts Man and ripped it: he howled and clutched that as data began to leak out.

"I'll make you be at peace!"

"Y-you lowlife…!"

"Gate Cannon!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Che. I'm going to get serious! Hra~h!"

"Zoan" Colonel began to glow with purplish light and started the "Bestialize": both gasped and stepped back.

"Mwah, hah, hah!"

His "Bestialize" form brought forth a lot of changes to his body and "Zoan" Gate Man gasped.

His helmet became further triangular and gained two small red paws emerging from behind coupled with a large blood red "fin" popping out of atop the helmet: the armor around his jaw drew five triangles aiming inwards: his hair became long and wilder.

His shoulder plating got displaced to the sides of the round shoulders and gained a diamond-like formation colored white and with two stripes and an upper gray edge: a small red diamond protruded from the gray edge near to the head.

His arms remained unchanged but his forearms got thicker and gained some slight mosaic-like gray plating near the wrists plus two dagger-like forms extending above the hand.

The chest armor opened to form a vest and a small red diamond was placed slightly above the emblem.

His skirt changed shape as well and split into two halves with jagged edges and a small yellowish thin diamond extending from there.

The boots had gotten a redesign too: large curved extensions colored blood red formed in the knees the patterns on them got altered as well: a central square section was drawn over the start of the talons and had a small yellow square dot there.

These boots ended in talon-like extensions colored red and their colors were black with some gray patterns: a small red diamond was set on the sides of the talons as well.

His sword gained a saw-like pattern to it on its upper edge.

"Screen Divide!"

The pattern he shot this time seemed to be more powerful and it actually cut "Zoan" Kendo Man in half: he got deleted.

"Huh? Bah. It'd seem some interlopers defeated "Zoan" Napalm Man and that "Zoan" Snake Man too… So it's come down to you lowlife and I! The only remaining "Zoanoroids"… And the one who survives will see the destruction of the other's army!"

"Shit." "Zoan" Gate Man cursed.

"Our soldiers are already advancing and fighting you guys' Viruses!"

He opened a holographic screen to depict an army of some curious soldier-like Navis advancing across the "desert".

Each could be slightly over a meter and fifty tall maybe closer to sixty and their main body armor color was metallic gray.

Their heads had partial armor over the foreheads and their skin was gray: they had simplistic reddish eyes a black triangle where the mouth would be at.

They wielded some kind of weapon on their right forearms which looked like some advanced rifle: the main body was green plus a gray piece and a red piece.

The left arm was rather unarmored and only had a brownish piece of armor over the hand.

They had a simplistic brown belt on their waists with a round pattern carved on the center.

Their knees had armor on them: the legs below them did have armor plating while the rest were unprotected and skin was exposed.

The feet were actually three talon-like extensions coming out of a black body and prolonging southwards.

"Heck and HECK." He cursed.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Colonel Cannon!"

He drew the weapon, which had gotten a slight redesign by adding two paws protruding out of the muzzle's rim and two bluish diamonds set on the sides of the body.

"Be gone, you damned Falzer mice! Hah!"

"Kuh! Remote…!"

"Too slow!"

The blast hit the chest of "Zoan" Gate Man and blew up the doors of his compartment: "Zoan" Colonel formed the sword and lifted the guy to pierce the sword through there.

"Gurua~h! Kruga~h! FALZER – SAMA~!"

He got deleted and his data flew towards the rock which began to glow.

"Hah! Greiga – sama will soon come to settle it with you lowlife once and for all! We Greiga Army will rule the world and this world! And nothing will be able to oppose us! Absolutely…!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Who..? Huh! What are these?"

The "gelatin" soldiers formed again and began to assault "Zoan" Colonel who began to slay them but any damaged parts of the body got immediately regenerated.

"You're not going anywhere until Greiga gets here and then we can go for the climax of the show! You've put up a good show for the audience but it's already coming to its inevitable conclusion! Now! Put up some struggle for the audience to witness. They'll love it: I promise you lowlifes! Come! _Kyoudai_! And be annihilated! Mwah, hah, hah!"


	11. Chapter 11: Titans' Appearance

**Chapter 11: Titans' Appearance**

09:44 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 22nd…

"… Mwah, hah, hah. Bloody~ Shadowy~! The ground's shaking: is Sakaki's "Nidoking" starting an uproar?"

"Jeez. No! It's something else altogether!"

"Mr. Smith?"

"Who the hell is that?"

"Dunno!"

Sigma and Blood Shadow were standing atop a tower and watching out the battle between the "Juuka" Viruses and the Greiga Army "soldiers" when the ground began to rumble and shake all of a sudden: Sigma began to joke but Blood Shadow didn't find it funny.

"It'd seem Mr. Universe decided to come out…" A voice told them.

"Oh yeah? And who's that?"

They turned around to see Shadow Man and Thunder Man there: Shadow Man sounded amused while Thunder Man apparently didn't get the point of his comment.

"Gra~wl!"

"By all the… That roar! I still remember it even if it's been 3 years!" Sigma gasped.

"Damn it. It came out! Cybeast… Greiga!"

"That's "Greiga"?" Raoul gasped.

A large "Cybeast" could be seen rushing down the desert plain while howling aloud.

They had the shape of a greenish lion having white patterns drawn over its body, four strong armored legs, gray claws, a grayish lower body, and seven orange-like spikes forming a crown-like formation.

Its eyes were colored red and didn't have irises or pupils to them, either, while an object which looked like a six – point star colored orange protruded out of the forehead: fierce teeth were being displayed as they were arranged inside of its jaw.

Lastly, a tail with a triangle and spikes set on its end emerged from the rear of its body.

"It's surely heading for the "Falzer" base…"

"Speaking of the guys, I deleted "Zoan" Napalm Man…" Shadow Man let out.

"And I beat "Zoan" Snake Man too…"

"I found "Zoan" Metal Man myself." Blood Shadow admitted.

"And I found "Zoan" Sword Man…" Sigma grinned.

"Maybe they've run out of "Zoanoroids"?" Dark Miyabi suggested.

"It's not crazy." Vadous admitted.

"... Kryu~h!"

"Grah! Let go of me, damned you~!"

"That's Falzer!"

A new "Cybeast" came in while flying across the sky.

They were a large vermillion falcon-shaped beast: it had gray talons with four claws each, large vermillion wings the lower edges of which were colored metallic gray and a tail: the beast was hovering on the air a small distance above the ground.

The main body had grayish/blackish armor over it although the sides of it were colored in a golden-like color: a green jewel-like reminiscent of the army emblem was located on the chest area.

The head had two cone-shaped extensions coming out of the sides plus a gray shape protruding from the back of the head and aiming northwards: its eyes were white and didn't have irises or pupils to them.

They were carrying "Zoan" Colonel on their talons and he was struggling to break free.

"Guess that guy tried to tackle "Falzer" alone and got captured. Maybe "Falzer" wants them to get deleted in the fight to fight each other to full power… Maybe it's a good thing that this became a desert: we don't need to worry about collateral damage." Vadous muttered.

"… Not bad." A voice came in.

"Oh heck. Twilight. You're gonna play all of the Act 3 dialogues now?"

"Not like I'm spoiling you guys! I know you, _kyoudai_, have reached the final battle but you've paused it to see this!"

Yoru Yami formed a hologram which floated into the air while riding a Dash Condor Virus and sneered.

"What, you hacked my PS3?" Vadous sighed.

"Ain't it obvious, Holmes?"

"Jeez."

"Ugra~h! Greiga – sama~!"

"Zoan" Colonel got dropped into the ground and the Viruses quickly overwhelmed him with multiple attacks thus deleting him: the data flew into "Greiga" as it spat torrents of orange flames and "Falzer" formed sonic pulses: all small enemies in the midst got blown up en masse and both began to fight.

"… It has no use anymore."

"Yeah, I know. When he signaled to Big Mama how he'd sunk the "Pyx" vessel she'd readied to escape through the channel by blowing smoke from the cigar…"

"Naomi told me about you guys' movements."

"That's true. But I know she returned to Liquid for some reason I still dunno but which I'll surely figure out in due time." Vadous sighed.

"Thanks to that I was able to obtain this…"

"And by "this" he mean's Big Boss' bio-mort body…"

"The Big Boss I've desired to get for so long… is finally…"

"I know. He wanted to say "in my hands" but the message was clear enough by then…"

"Look. The fighting seems to have gotten more intense!" Raoul signaled all of a sudden.

In effect: "Falzer" was making sweeps and tackling "Greiga" with its talons while "Greiga" swung the tail and formed some kind of buster which shot pyramidal projectiles: "Falzer" formed some small birds made of flame which began to rain down on "Greiga" as well.

"… Lower your weapon, Snake."

"Not like he can do much as he is surrounded by those FROGs elite soldiers to begin with…" Vadous dully replied.

"Greiga" formed a crown of electricity around the spikes of its neck and shot it in the form of a "T" pattern while "Falzer" beat the wings and shot large feathers down.

"It's too late by now."

"Guess so if it's already the late evening." Vadous sarcastically replied while shrugging.

"By the way! I programmed them to destroy each other, yeah, but I can't make them fuse. I tried a lot of times but I guess I was missing something in the data I salvaged." The guy shrugged.

"So we take out the winner: no big deal."

"Anyway… That was close. But I guess I win. _Kyoudai_."

"I wouldn't be so confident."

"The cigar which Father liked… How is it? Wanna have a last moment smoke?" Yoru Yami snickered.

"I know Big Boss was a passionate of cigars, yeah."

"Cigar Man appeared." Shadow Man chuckled.

"That was lame." Thunder Man sighed.

"Totally." Blood Shadow grumbled.

"Mwah, hah, hah." Sigma chuckled too.

"Greiga" suddenly formed copies of its front paws to swing across the air followed by the head ramming into "Falzer": the vermillion bird shot the sonic shockwaves at "Greiga" again and both had several wounds into their bodies by now.

"… As expected of _kyoudai_. You're always right."

"Is that directed to me too?" Vadous wasn't surprised.

"I'm gonna part with this today as well."

"No wonder: tobacco is bad for the health anyway."

"No Wonder Man!" Sigma laughed.

"Oh come on. Sigma. Those names are LAME." Omega appeared there and looked annoyed.

"Yikes! Commander Omega…!" Sigma gasped.

"Oi, oi. When it comes to CQC I'm the expert at it."

"He sure proved it."

"And so what? _Kyoudai_?"

"Liquid's answer to Snake's taunt that he only controlled a small segment of the SOP System despite everything…" Omega muttered while slightly lifting his eyebrows.

"It's only a matter of time before I possess everything, anyway."

"That happened to be true. Liquid never gloats unless he's got something solid on his hands already." Omega admitted.

"Greiga" jumped into the air and landed down while swinging the tail but "Falzer" merely chopped it with their huge beak: "Greiga" roared and vomited flames which "Falzer" countered with the sonic slices: none seemed to be getting tired.

"Good display, yeah… Well… The "G. W." which those guys believe to have lost… It's now part of my army!"

"GW? What do they mean?" Raoul asked.

"George Washington." Omega replied.

"And what's it?"

"A super-computer, a neuro-optical AI… But no so AI anymore but more like a super-computer…" Omega described.

"Wow." Raoul whistled.

"So? Were my proxies enough to keep you busy, Raoul The Thunder?" The guy taunted Raoul.

"Damn you." Raoul hissed and got annoyed.

"Heh! You guys' worm only managed to finely section it. It was possible to repair it. And I concealed it on the "inside" of the "J. D." network… This man's body has been useful."

"Hmmm… It'd seem they're getting further annoyed." Shadow Man warned the group.

In effect: "Falzer" was drilling the flanks of "Greiga" with the beak and inflicting damage there: "Greiga" howled and shot the stream of electricity at them but they flipped the wings to spread it around in a chaotic manner and landing around them.

"Recovering "G. W." allowed Ocelot, this body, to pass through several security devices. The system of the "Patriots" is but a machine. There was no way which "J. D." would recognize "G. W.", which existed as a spook on the network, as an external threat."

"So he accessed from the inside." Raoul guessed.

"Look!" Miyabi gasped.

"Greiga" had bitten the right talon of "Falzer" and they were trying to break free by shooting the fire birds and the sonic slices at "Greiga" but it didn't seem to want to let go.

"… Once I destroy "J. D." via a nuclear attack I'll obtain the Network of the "Patriots"…!"

"Nuclear! What's "J. D."? Another super-computer?" Raoul gasped.

"Yeah. MGS revolves around the nuclear arms race too." Vadous admitted with a shrug.

"And I'll build a Haven free of all control!"

"A refuge, huh…" Thunder Man muttered.

"Greiga" managed to cut off the talon of "Falzer" and it shrieked but didn't falter either: they shot some more sonic slices before diving and ramming into "Greiga" before flying skywards.

"I'll destroy the nameless man, John Doe, and I'll attach myself a name for the first time."

"I guess he meant that he would stop going by the codename."

"Snake. We were created by the "Patriots". We're not humans. We're "shadows" in shaped as humans… We're freaks which shouldn't have existed!" Yoru Yami sneered.

"I catch the irony." Vadous calmly replied.

"We're a system to inhibit the prosperity of the next generation. The only reason why were created… We can't have a reason to exist without the "Patriots"… I won't defy Fate anymore."

"If there is such a thing to begin with." Vadous taunted back.

"Heh, heh, heh. Interesting." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Don't bring up _ninja manga_ next." Miyabi could seemingly predict what Shadow Man was about to say.

"Oi, oi. Those guys are getting fiercer!"

"Greiga" had managed to open wounds on the chest armor of "Falzer" but it had shattered the spikes around the neck impeding them from forming the electrical attack.

"Stalemate? No, I don't think so." Omega muttered.

"I'll kill Zero. I'll kill Big Boss. And I'll become a patriot myself."

"Kill me? Or someone else?" Zero appeared there.

"A character which had the codename Zero…" Omega clarified.

"Ah. It's a coincidence then."

"Who knows?" Yoru Yami sneered.

"You do, you freak. Now shut up. Good news: we've regained the building and some reconstruction work has begun in the outer perimeters but they won't touch the core section we're at until these two are confirmed to be deleted." Zero reported.

"Good!" Vadous grinned.

"It all began with Zero and Big Boss. We lived to fulfill our Fates. I'll return everything to zero and be reborn from there… There won't be a "Light Age" as long as we live. If we're to pass the baton into the next generation then there's no other way but to choose to die out."

"Then do that." Miyabi taunted the guy.

"Hmpf! I'm not that literal." He chuckled.

"Too bad…" Shadow Man muttered in an amused tone of voice.

"Snake. It'd seem the actors have gathered. Contemplate… Contemplate out victory! Hmpf! Depart!"

"Falzer" poked the start on the forehead of "Greiga" with the left talon while attacking it with the sonic slices: "Greiga" formed his claws into the air and they swung to open cuts on the wings while the head impacted against the green jewel and formed cracks there.

"… I've already seized the System! The guns and weapons are no longer you lowlifes' possessions! Look! This is "Guns of the Patriots"!"

"I think they're about to beat each other… From what I can analyze, they've lost over 80% of their 4500 HP points… So they have less than 900 HP points left to each other by now…" Vadous reported.

"Bang! Bang! Die! Bang!"

"You gotta see the whole scene to get it." Omega rolled his eyes.

"Did you see, Zero? We've won! This IS "Guns of the Patriots"!"

"Sure, sure." Blood Shadow muttered.

"Mwah, hah, hah!" Sigma chuckled.

"Out of the way!"

"You get outta the way." Raoul taunted back.

"Return it. We don't need it anymore. So long, Snake!"

"And that's Act 3."

"Yeah… I'll save up Acts 4 & 5 for another day~…" He taunted.

"Act a tree!" Sigma made a pun.

"Patent it, big dude." Yoru Yami invited.

"Che." He got annoyed.

"You're like Obelix, eh? You won't admit you're big?" Yoru Yami taunted next with a smug grin.

"None of your business, ugly!" Sigma grumbled.

"I knew that, Mr. Smug."

"Falzer" drilled the forehead crest and it broke: data began to leak out while "Greiga" shot flames at their opponent: their chest jewel shattered as well: both looked tired but began to step back.

"The final blow?" Vadous wondered.

"Gra~wl!"

"Kye~h!"

"Greiga" jumped towards "Falzer" and "Falzer" dived for "Greiga": they collided and a shockwave of energy ensued which blew up most of the sand to reveal solid ground beneath it which was obviously the ground of the usual Internet City.

"I see. You didn't overwrite that layer but rather placed a new one atop it to begin with…" Vadous realized.

"I'm a GENIUS!" He laughed.

Both "Cybeasts" pushed against each other and their bodies began to crumble as clusters of data faded away due to the brutal energy they were pouring out towards each other.

"They're at less than 200 Hit Points by now!" Vadous gasped.

"Huh! This tower's integrity is being compromised!" Zero warned.

"Emergency retrieval: I'll bring you guys to the HQ and we'll look on through sensor imagery."

He opened the "gateway" and all Navis jumped inside before it closed: the tower creaked and groaned before it collapsed altogether: both "Cybeasts" were semi-transparent by now.

"Heh. It's obvious that they're running out of energies…"

The wings of "Falzer" and the rear of "Greiga" faded away followed by the talons of "Falzer" and the front body of "Greiga": the main body of "Falzer" got deleted too and only their heads deleted: the edges began to fade until only the eyes, jaw and beak were left: these were deleted as well and the mass of energy spread across the whole terrain wiping out all sand and restoring the original terrain: Yoru Yami shrugged.

"Well. There goes the show. But we'll come up with something new on the days to come anyway. I'm sure of it. Heh, heh, heh! So long! _Kyoudai_!"

_Tremble! Shudder! Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah … HAH, HAH, HA~H!_


	12. Chapter 12: Operation Terror

**Chapter 12: Operation Terror**

10:02 AM (Honolulu Time), Monday June the 23rd…

"… So! Gold. You've bothered to call me so… This better be important."

"Silver and I came up with a plan."

"Tell me more."

"It'll cause some terror and fear."

"Hum. I see."

Opoulos had been working on something when his phone had beeped so he replied to the call.

"Did you find the hacker?" He asked.

"We tried asking around and it'd seem they're away from the country and involved in something but no – one knows much stuff…"

"Hum. I see. So? What's the plan?"

"Operation: Terror is the name."

"How _superb_." He sarcastically told them.

"We'll pick a civilian, knock them out, close them into a berserk train and produce a spectacular accident by having some Viruses mess up with the train. How's that?"

"And what if the "Net Saviors" come in? They could follow the train with a chopper and someone could land on the rooftop to get in through the side doors…" He argued back.

"Don't worry. We'll be on standby nearby disguise as hospital workers and have an ambulance. We pick the hostage and send the ambulance to crash into a gas station to then blow up with a bomb." Gold eagerly described next.

"Hum. It could work." He concluded.

"What… You're still skeptical, Jade?"

"I am. All these years in the FBI showed me not even they can come up with "perfect" strategies."

"Well… That's true. But ours…"

"I'll send Crystal to retrieve you if you get into a pinch."

"Alright."

"Sapphire and the others can handle the bikers."

"Obviously. They're smart enough to obey and live." Gold sounded like he was shrugging.

"When are you planning on doing that?"

"It's all set up: we only need to get the sacrifice. To summon "Giant God Soldier Obelisk"… We asked Dr. Yoru to tell us the original names after he commented on the lameness of the localization. Heh, heh, heh."

"Yeah, I know you like that _Duel Monsters_ card game and I don't mind that: everyone has their hobbies."

"By the way! Will you tell us who the two VIPs are? Your niece and her boyfriend…?" Gold tried to guess.

"If you want to think of it this way…" He shrugged.

"Oho. So it's not that simple, eh? Heh, heh, heh."

"Don't you have to get to Japan? Ask Dr. Yoru to lend you the "gateway" device. And if he suggests sending a "Darkloid" to check on things then don't complain. They could help pull you out too."

"Roger, Jade. Heh, heh, heh."

Opoulos ended the phone call but he didn't look too surprised: maybe he appeared to be bit skeptical.

"Getting cocky, Gold…? Then I don't trust that "perfect" plan to succeed in any manner… I better continue working to contact that new client which wants to hire our services… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh… Well! Look on, Net Police!" He muttered as if taunting them.

06:49 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 24th…

"… Alright. I've secured them into the cockpit, Gold."

"Good, Silver. All that's left is to start this babe up…"

"Sure."

A man on his late 20s or early 30s and about a meter and eighty tall was standing next to a stopped train.

He blond patches to his brown hair and his eyes' irises were brown: he had a bit of beard on the chin but was clean shaven on the other spots: he looked smug.

He currently whore a white medic's coat and a cap with the Red Cross sign on it over a simple blue t-shirt with the motto "I love NYC" printed on it and jeans combined with white sneakers.

"Heh, heh, heh. Just take out the manual brake and the Viruses will do the rest on our command, Silver."

"Sure. Done. I'm coming out."

Another man of the same age jumped off the cabin and into the ground while shrugging.

He was around the same height as Gold but had patches of silver to his black hair plus brown irises.

He was clean shaven instead and looked dull and uninterested.

He also wore the same hospital coat over a buttoned white shirt, brown pants and shoes.

"Good. Oi! Crystal! All's OK?"

"Yeah. I've parked 30km ahead of you close to the river bridge where the tracks become just one and there's the switching point for tracks with the traffic lights. These trains are designed to cover as much as 50 km in one hour so it should get here in about 30 minutes… If they want to stop it safely they'll pick this spot." Crystal replied through the phone.

"Good analysis, yeah… The train is gonna active in 5 minutes from now: let's get on the move and we'll meet on the bridge." Gold replied as he headed for an ambulance parked close by.

"OK!"

Both he and Silver climbed in and Silver drove: Gold merely watched at the tracks before his phone rang.

"Oi! Mr. Gold? It's me, Swallow Man. I'm keeping watch around but no – one seems to have detected anything yet."

"Excellent. Mr. Swallow Man. Do as you like."

"Don't worry… Twilight – sama already told me I'm supposed to watch out when the Net Police comes in but they'll be slow to reply this early in the morning unless they send the other guys in which I think is what will happen…" Swallow Man replied.

"Has anyone accessed the security camera footage as of late?"

"No. And we already replaced the footage with a fake one so no – one should've gotten suspicious. They're waiting for us to do something involving the Cyber World, after all." Swallow Man sounded rather amused.

"I see. The show had this secondary effect… How brilliant: to exploit obvious assumptions and make people get stuck with one single idea and discarding all others… Dr. Yoru sure knows very well how people like the Net Police react!"

"Sure. He's got more than enough experience tackling them and we do but when it comes to subtle plans then he's the best."

"Heh, heh, heh! The cooperation between "Deadly Pandora" and "Neo Gospel" is a success."

"Sure is! Heh, heh, heh. This is life, man." Silver chuckled.

"Now let's sit back and enjoy the show. The show of terror and chaos…!"

"Heh, heh, heh. The pals will like this, I assure you. Heh, heh, heh."

07:09 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So! This train activated alone and suddenly about 15 minutes ago and has hit the top speed, Boss?"

"Yeah. The train storage building managers reported about that 5 minutes ago and it's taken a while to be noticed by them… They'd just begun to take out the other trains to fit them for the day's services…"

"Luckily we could predict where the train would be at given the constant speed and length…"

"Sure… Find out what's going on."

"Roger."

Omega had landed atop the train and looked at how it was speeding: he suddenly turned around and drew his blade to block an attempt by Swallow Man to hit him from behind using the claws.

"Swallow Man. So this is your master's newest show?"

"Little correction, Omega… Two "Admin" guys thought of it and they got permission to carry it out… I'm just here 'cause Twilight – sama wants to add some element of drama to this… Which it already has but this will have a better flavor…"

"So this train has a bomb?"

"Yeah… Fatman's giant C4 bombs…!"

"Heck. More rip-offs..."

"Wasn't it obvious to begin with, Omega?" He sneered.

"Dunno. Ask Mr. Obvious or Mr. Freeze."

"Heh! Freeze Man – sama is too busy to deal with mice like you but I can handle that… Dark Generator: Activate! Hra~h!"

"Shit. I'd forgotten about that damned power-up thing."

"Then you'll die as a fool! _Fool Killer_! Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

"Just bring it on already."

"Air Dive!"

He jumped skywards and then dived for Omega to try to knock him out of the train or have him hit the electrical lines: Omega simply dashed past Swallow Man as he dived and had to fly away from the train to maneuver and then fly to drop atop the train's second carriage: he grinned and formed a purple-colored Dream Sword.

"Dark Sword!"

"Come."

Omega placed his sword horizontally and managed to flung back the attack at Swallow Man: he gasped and jumped to the left to drop into the platform between carriages: Omega took profit of that opportunity to jump into another platform and rush inside of the first carriage while placing a Curse Shield in the doorway to stall for time.

"That should keep him busy for about 10 seconds."

He dashed across the carriage and rammed the door to the cockpit open to find all panels blinking in red lights and someone tied to the driver's chair.

"Huh? A civilian! They want to make it more gruesome by blowing the train with the civilian…? Yeah! The Fatman bomb… I should be careful: does it have that microwave sensor…? Or is it still linked to the dummies, if any? I didn't see them in the first carriage… But active or not it should take a few seconds to detonate…"

He drew the gun and shot at a window to melt it down: air rushed into the cockpit and Omega then picked the bomb and threw it out into a grassy slope close to the river: it rolled down it and into the water where it went off and provoked a plunge of water.

"Phew."

He checked on the hostage: it was a woman on her late 20s or early 30s and about his height or a bit shorter.

She had brownish hair which grew past the base of her neck and had reading glasses on.

She wore a white lab coat over a simple yellow shirt, orange-like pants and sneakers.

She was unconscious and tied to the driver's chair.

"First things first… Blood!"

"Roger, sir!"

Blood Shadow's voice rang out of the control panel followed by the sound of a scuffle.

"Where are you?" Swallow Man could be heard cursing close by.

"What… He thought the Curse Shield was a red herring and I actually went to the rear carriages?" Omega looked slightly surprised.

"Seems like it, sir…" Blood Shadow replied.

"How much time do you need?"

"Well… About 17 seconds, sir."

"Good. I can win that much time: eat plasma!"

He shot a round while crouching and sitting to the doorway and aiming without looking: there was a yelp.

"My right knee…! Damn you!" He cursed.

"Too predictable... 4 seconds left… 3… 2… 1… Now!"

He leapt to his feet and pulled the emergency brake lever as all displays turned green: the train screeched and slowly began to stop until it halted inside of the train's bridge: there was another car-use bridge close by as well and an ambulance parked parallel to the train in a rush: Omega slightly lifted his eyebrows.

"The ambulance…? That was fast."

"Found you!"

Swallow Man walked in but then Blood Shadow appeared in front of him and aimed the loaded shotgun at his chest.

"Charged shotgun shot!"

"Gua~rgh!"

Omega calmly cut the ropes and then checked an ID card attached to the right side of the coat with a pair of pegs.

"Aoki Makoto… Densan University… Copy Roid researcher…!"

"They're the researcher to whom Twilight sold the "Copy Roid" patent in a secretive manner time ago and who worked on them to make them available for study…" Vadous reported through his radio.

"Shit. I'm off!" Swallow Man cursed.

"… I didn't pierce his armor even. That was odd." Blood Shadow muttered as if having a suspicion.

"That ambulance reeks: why didn't they turn on the siren? And who called them to begin with? Besides! How could they know there was a person onboard…? Only the 3 of us know." Omega argued.

"Maybe it's a ploy by those guys?" Vadous suggested.

They suddenly saw how both drivers jumped off the ambulance as it headed towards the train using a connecting pathway: Omega and Blood Shadow gasped.

"Damn it! Bomb-rigged vehicle…? Let's run!"

"Roger, sir!"

Both ran into the other carriages and then jumped off by manually releasing one of the passenger entrance doors: they slid down the hill while the ambulance hit the front carriage and blew up in a grand explosion which knocked it off the track and took the rest of the train along to the ground.

"Fuck. These guys aren't kidding around."

12:55 PM (Honolulu Time), Monday June the 23rd…

"… AND YOU CALL THAT A SUCCESS?"

"W-well, Jade…"

"It caused the spectacular effect and…"

"SILENCE! WHERE'S THE AMBULANCE?"

"YEAH! WHERE!"

"Is "yeah, where" your new war motto, Platinum?"

"Well…"

Opoulos was facing Gold and Silver and didn't look in a good mood to begin with: both were gulping along with a third guy.

This guy could be on his 30s and about a meter eighty five tall.

He had blond hair with a platinum-colored central line spanning across the length of the head and blue irises.

He was clean shaven.

He wore a simple sleeveless white shirt, brown shorts and sandals.

"A-at the morgue… I mean… At the scrap-yard…" Gold gulped.

"WHAT?"

"We had to sacrifice it to blow the train up! I know the woman escaped with the help of those two but at least we put up a display of how terrific we can be!"

"Who will care for a damned empty train anyway?"

"B-but…"

"Silence!"

BLAM!

He brought the right fist down and the guys gulped.

"Listen to the news!"

"… This is Midorikawa Kero, reporting from the scene… What could've been a drama ended up in minor material damage to a public train: the culprits are the coalition "Deadly Pandora – Neo Gospel" and…"

"See? MINOR DAMAGE! COULD'VE! SEE?" Opoulos snapped.

"W-well… But…" Silver tried to argue back.

"This won't even make it past a local newspaper's "slightly interesting news" column!" He stood up.

"B-but…" Gold was still trying to defend himself.

"GET OUT!" He snapped at them.

Gold and Silver quickly ran off as if they were going to be slaughtered alive: Opoulos sat down and Platinum walked over to him.

"But, Jade… We made an impression and…" He tried to expose.

"Huff! No playing the devil's advocate either! They promised there'd be a drama, terror and fear. And what's the result? A mere blunt show! They failed to be mature and think things thoroughly! And what if they suspected of the ambulance? And what if that woman got police escort? Pick some John Doe out there and pull the ambulance plan! But no! Those morons had to waste it just like that!" Opoulos stood up violently.

"M-my bad, Jade… I didn't…"

"GET OUT! I FEEL VEHEMENTLY DISGUSTED!"

Platinum ran off too while Opoulos paced around the desk while looking like he was about to strangle or kill someone.

"And now they'll laugh at us! We need something to turn the odds around and prove to them they're underestimating us! But the desert thing and the "Zoanoroids" were enough… for now! I need to speak with Ms. Anaya: they will give me some ideas! Just you wait! Net Police! Vadous!"

_Our coalition will bring terror and chaos to the whole world!_


	13. Chapter 13: Top secret project

**Chapter 13: Top – secret project**

10:24 AM (Honolulu Time), Thursday June the 26th…

"… MARCO!"

"M-my lady?"

"What day is it today?"

"Huh? Well… Thursday…"

"What day of the month!"

"W-well… The 26th…"

"And this is the year 2008, right?"

"Eh… Yes… But… Why…?"

"DAMN IT ALL!"

"HUH? My lady?"

"Damn my memory!"

"Huh? Did you forget to order something, my lady?"

"MARCO! Don't you remember? 5 years ago!"

"2003? Summer 2003…?"

"No! Early 2003…!"

Anaya had been sitting in a white plastic hammock set in a terrace protruding from a large volcano in an island somewhere: she'd been sunbathing given how she had a purple plain _bikini_ on and sunglasses on plus had been reading a magazine when she suddenly gasped and got to her feet in a rush: Izono rushed in at her call (he wore a black tuxedo and black pants): she turned to face him.

"Huh… Early 2003…? Huff… Let's see… If the 3 guys are about 25 each and they have been around for 9 years… It'd been 4 years by then and we'd sent all of them to handle on their own already…"

"We're forgetting about "IT"!"

"What, the Palace? It got blown up, my lady."

"NO! Antarctica!"

"A-Antarctica? Why's that? Is there someone you know who is part of a scientific exploration mission or…?" He trailed off and frowned.

"Che! Don't you remember?" She snapped.

"I'm sorry, my lady, but… It's foggy for some reason or another."

"JEEZ! The Project…!"

"Project…? Some project proposed back then…?"

"Yeah! A project we underwent you and I in top secret! No one else knows about it to begin with! It's top-secret!"

"Could it be…?" Izono gasped.

"It's exactly what you're thinking of, Marco!"

"But then… The set date was…?"

"Tomorrow! Friday June the 27th!"

"But it's already the 27th in Japan!"

"But we set the system to use the Honololu time frame because that's where we used to send the shuttles! The original plan was for a shuttle to escort them to the landing site of the "Palace" and then get in before we jumped back into HEO…! And this magazine helped me remember!"

She showed him an article which was titled "PROJECT TO DIG INTO ANCIENT ANTARCTIC LAKE: COULD THERE BE ANCIENT MICROSCOPIC LIFE THERE?" occupying two pages along with maps, drawings and photos.

"Whoa! Then we were lucky to remember and that Twilight rescued us with enough time to remember this… Say… What do we tell the guy about this? Won't he feel betrayed or…?"

"Hum. Good point. We could explain that we didn't think of it back then."

"True… We wanted to try out a new methodology after all."

"Thanks goodness I remember! Can you image them starting up, leaving the lab and then… No clue of what to do next? No transmission? No coordinates?" Anaya told him.

"By all the… 5 years' work… Turned into a vain thing! No result! No future and no progress!" He gasped in horror.

"Exactly! Damn it! I should've written down a memo even if it was something vague like "IMPORTANT: JUNE THE 27th, 2008" and no – one would've thought about it. I could've said this: "Hah! My Maria instinct tells me MGS4 is gonna come out then!" and even Vadous and the others would've fallen for it… I'm such an idiot!"

"So? What do we tell Twilight?"

"Let's not say anything until we secure their arrival here."

"Good. Do you still remember where the lab was at?"

"Under that old Indian outpost, Gondwana… The entrance was properly hidden and no – one should've bothered to check the hanger… Luckily we found out about another thing which "Dimensional Converters" could do when we built our own system to absorb environment EM to recharge: the resulting "Dimensional Area" had to renew from time to time but it protected the vehicle nevertheless… Building a "super energy" engine to it was wise because otherwise storing fuel for 5 years in Antarctica and then getting it to work on the vehicle…" Anaya trailed off.

"No wonder we had to start work in early 2003 and we couldn't leave everything set up until that summer…"

"Exactly. Alright. I'm starting to draw a rough schematic of what we're going to do with them."

"Are we going to follow the same pattern?"

"No! We're going to just train them to be useful in Net Battles. We're missing that: I know Twilight's good at hacking and that he's got the Darkloids but nevertheless… It would be fitting…"

"As an opponent to Hikari Netto and Rock Man…?" Izono quickly caught up and lifted his eyebrows slightly.

"Exactly."

"And should we chase our goal from about 4 years ago?"

"What was that again? Ah! Have those two become merchandise? No point on it: without the "Palace"… And that's why Vadous and the others locked us in Louisiana anyway." She shrugged.

"So should we have the project…?"

"No! I've had a better idea. Nothing."

"Excuse me?"

"We'll them NOTHING of sex, S&M and anything related to it! We'll just airbrush our own tale, say we were playing _Star Wars_ by coming up with those 3 plus imitating _MGS_… And say they locked us 'cause… Meh! We just were trafficking with drugs and guns… And they came for us 'cause we didn't have any political ties… Make it look like they picked on the weakest when they should've gone for the big birds in Mexico and the southern Ameroupe nations…" She rubbed her hands.

"I see. To avoid them from getting scandalized…"

"And we'll have Twilight be their mentor in Net Battles. I'll speak with the guy so that he says nothing of the stuff either. He knows how to obey so he won't go outside his orders. Besides… The programming… It will be an insurance to make sure they have no interest on that…" She sneered.

"Oho. I'd forgotten we purposely programmed them like that… Well. Now we need to figure out how to contact the lab and prove it's us."

"I think that the surveillance program had some keywords stored on them for quick ID… We could use those."

"Good. We should hope the armor we designed is good enough because it's winter down there by now. And a really fierce winter…"

"True. But since they'll soon get into the vehicle then… No worries."

"We should warn Mr. Opoulos about their arrival, right?"

"Obviously. And I need him to tell me the exact coordinates of this place: the air traffic controllers will only be told "someone" will be coming over and to expect them." Anaya replied.

"Plain enough… And we should make it think that the "visitor" is someone Mr. Opoulos called for as well?" He suggested.

"Yeah. I'll tell him the deal when they get here." She replied as she leant on the terrace handrail and looked out into the ocean.

"By your will, my lady."

He made a courteous bow and came out while Anaya sneered and picked up the magazine again.

"_Science_… Heh! You ended up saving our lil project so I'll praise you yet for the time being. Heh, heh, heh. Let's call the guy over and get an update on things…"

She headed back to the hammock and picked up a walkie-talkie: she pressed the call button and stopped: a reply rang out and soon enough Yoru Yami stepped into the balcony.

"Twilight. How are things in Japan?"

"They're slowly rebuilding Internet City and overall 57% is back to what it was: but the train and ambulance thing did get a lot more publicity than we'd expected… They're now obsessed with trying to find any accounts in tax havens, ma'am…" He calmly reported.

"Hmpf! Let them look: like they'll find us like that…"

"Truly. I will plant some red herrings. Do excuse me."

"Go, bad boy, and give them some headaches. Tee, heh, heh."

Yoru Yami bowed and walked out as well while Anaya resumed reading and sunbathing.

"I'm a genius! No one else but I could come up with this! Tee, heh, heh!"

07:44 AM (Japan Time), Friday June the 27th…

"… Phew! In the end we did take down those guys."

"Yeah. And the final clash between both of those giants was spectacular: I hate to admit it but…"

"I know…"

"Mwah, hah, hah. Of Clash and Spectaculars goes Spectacular-Clash Man & co."

"Sigma! I can't stand that randomness! It drives me mad!"

"Stop pestering Saito – kun, Sigma! It makes me feel mad too."

The twins were discussing at home while wearing their street clothes (Netto had his usual ones while Saito had a blue vest instead and jeans) and facing each other: Sigma came up with a silly pun which Blood Shadow didn't like to begin with.

"And that of the explosive ambulance and train was creepy."

"Yeah. At least Aoki – san was unharmed. It turns out she used to Mejin – san's girlfriend."

"Maybe that's why they picked her?" Sigma asked.

"Dunno."

"And Twilight keeps on toying with us without really proving his force: he provokes us by appearing using 3D images…" Netto sighed.

"Yeah. The creep…"

"At least… Vadous – san thinks that Anaya won't come for us. That'd be predictable and she hates being predictable."

"That's the good news, I guess."

"News & Good Man came out of the closet!"

"Oh come on! Sigma! You go tell that to an RSS feed service." Blood Shadow challenged Sigma next.

"Why not… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

He ran off and the three of them sighed in relief: they heard a yelp and Program – kun rushed in.

"A black demon! A black demon! A black demon!"

"Oh come on. Sigma loomed over him to scare him."

"By the way, Blood… Shadow Man sent a mail…"

"… I know. He called me "Samus Aran's little half-brother"… And that's an irony because Boss got inspired on her armor made by the Bird-folk Tribe which is known as "Chouzo" overseas due to some mistake… The name stuck… But the original is "Choujin-zoku"…"

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Bang, bang! Lucky Luke came to fire ya~!"

"Oh come on! Sigma. Go out troll with Shadow Man."

"Sure. With Shadowy~ Ninja~ Man!"

"Commander Omega is about to run out of patience!" Blood Shadow warned him.

"YIKES!"

"Net Navi Sigma has departed the LAN and into the WAN through Port 80, TCP & IP, of the firewall." An automated voice reported.

"Finally!" He exasperatedly sighed.

"Huh? A call… Dekao. What happened now?"

"I beat Bubble Man to a pulp! I'm the strongest!" Dekao grinned.

"Bubble Man doesn't count. He's a weakling and the comic relief guy of all "Darkloids" out there… Try beating a "Neo Gospel" jerk instead and maybe then I'll praise you." Netto dully replied.

"Hah! I knew it. Chu. Niichan always forgets that Bubble Man doesn't count and tries to play strong guy! Chu! But fails at it! Chu!"

"Wha~h! Chisao!" He gasped.

"No, niichan! Chu! Face reality! Chu!"

"Meiru – chan! Fate is cruel to me~!"

"You're the one who lives in a fantasy world to begin with." Saito sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Saito~! Back then Meiru – chan teamed up with me!"

"Back then? Oh. When Fire Man wanted to have a rematch in late September, 2004? It's been almost 4 years. People change. So why don't you accept that Meiru – chan has changed too and made it clear she never thought of you of being anyone but a classmate?"

"No way~!"

"Guts, guts! Guts Man will marry Roll – chan."

"I'm skeptical." Blood Shadow muttered.

"What's "skeptical", de guts?"

"I don't believe it." He simplified.

"Why, de guts? Guts Man is strong! Guts Man beat Bubble Man!"

"You couldn't beat Sigma 3 years ago and despite how much you've tried your so-called "Mugen Vulcan Spawn Strategy" failed because Sigma's armor is resistant to bullet attacks: you only got them to bounce off his body and waste your Folder." Saito sighed.

"No way, de guts!" He gasped.

"Try using the head… Gorilla Man." He settled.

"Yeah. Chisao! Give Dekao an earful. He's asking for it, anyway."

"MEIRU – CHA~N!"

"_Baka_ niichan! CHU~!"

"Here we go again: the city goes weird in the summer, doesn't it?"

13:07 PM (Honolulu Time), Thursday June the 26th…

BEEP… BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…

Sounds rang out in an armored cubical chamber somewhere: this chamber had few objects on it but there was one which stood out.

And that "one" was a tall cylinder with two cone-shaped ends set in the exact middle of it: the main body was over two meters tall and the ends were about 50cm tall each.

The front half of it had two perfectly sealed curved panels of blackened thick glass while the rear half was a curved metallic body.

Two LCD monitors had been set a few centimeters away from the SW and SE corners and were linked to the main cylinder by wires secured on the ground.

The left monitor displayed life-signs graphs like heartbeat, blood flow and EEG activity: the heartbeats were surprisingly low and slow and the EEG line was flat.

The right monitor displayed a Navi's frame which was unlit: they were floating about 10cm over the ground while surrounded by four purplish rings forming a sphere of purple energy around them: most of their body was hidden by a purple robe and hood but they seemed to be slightly over a meter and eighty tall.

The north end of the room had two huge armored metallic doors with four large hydraulic locks placed along their height and keeping it locked up: it looked very hard to force open.

A path had been painted using purple pain from the doors to the front of the cylinder where some small metallic steps allowed one to climb up to the height of the cylinder's main body.

The room was rather silent save for the almost silent life-support system monitor and some occasional humming of a machine hidden somewhere out of sight.

Two pairs of switched off fluorescent tubes were set in the ceiling.

"… Code D7K5B3… ID: Izono Marco… Unit "I"! Awaken."

"… Huh…? Unh… Huh… Uh…"

The Navi seemed to slowly awake and some holographic windows with graphs and data on them popped out followed by another displaying Izono's face.

"Mr. Secretary…? It's been… too long, sir…" They sluggishly replied.

"Is everything alright over there?"

"Yes, sir… Please wait a minute, sir… I need to update my clock with the computer's clock… Honolulu time… HUH! Tomorrow! Tomorrow is THE DAY…! I know I awoke on the 1st to carry out the trimester revision but I hadn't thought the time had finally come…!" The Navi gasped.

"I'm sending coordinates. There'll be a slight change of plans but no big deal: the rendezvous location has just changed… Follow the written protocol step by step and don't rush it up."

"Roger, sir… We have waited 5 years, sir… I don't mind waiting another few hours, sir… Finally… My watch-man duty will end… And my true mission will commence…!" The Navi sounded eager.

"Good enough. Sorry for the long time without contacting but, to be honest, we'd almost forgotten about you two… We'll tell you when you get here safe and sound… Nothing to be concerned about… Is the vehicle in a good status as well?" Izono asked as if to check up.

"Hmmm… Hanger sensors say so, sir…"

"Excellent. Phew. Close, way TOO close…! Anyway… Let's meet tomorrow, Unit "I"… Izono, out."

The screens faded and the Navi mumbled before seemingly falling asleep again but not before producing a small chuckle.

_Finally… 5 years of waiting will come to an end… In less than 24 hours from now! Heh, heh, heh. I'm impatient already to see your evolution, my room-mate… Soon you will become my new Operator and pal… Heh, heh, heh!_


	14. Chapter 14: Nelaus

**Chapter 14: Nelaus**

08:01 AM (Honolulu Time), Friday June the 27th…

… _Warm… Warm… Warm… It's warm… It's finally getting warm… I feel like I've been living in coldness for a long time… But…? Who I am? What am I to begin with? I'm conscious… See… I want to see… My eyes… They feel heavy… Come on… Open up… There… _

Someone opened their eyes in a sluggish manner and tried to look at what was going on around them but their sight was blurry and totally out of focus: they closed the eyes again.

_Wait… Wait… They need time… Yeah… The warmness is increasing: I don't feel so cold anymore… I've woken up from… blackness…? I don't remember anything else from before today… When is "today"? _

_Friday June the 27__th__, 2008, 08:04 AM, Honolulu Time…_

_Huh! Who's there? Who's speaking into my head?_

_Calm down. I'm just using your chip implant bandwidth to input my words into you… _

_Who am I?_

_Well. You're a human male._

… _Oh! I hadn't realized I was speaking like one to begin with, using the "ore" personal pronoun and all… Did you wake me up?_

_Yeah. As established by the plan…_

_What plan? Am I part of that "plan"? _

They tried to open their eyes again and this time the sight was better yet all light was very dim and seemed filtered: they then realized they were looking out through black shades at some kind of greenish fluid filling the whole of this space.

_I'm surrounded by liquid… But I'm breathing nevertheless?_

_You've got an oxygen mask on and the helmet is hermetically sealed._

_How much time have I lived in the blackness?_

_About 5 years… Ever since May, 2003…_

_And you said it's the year 2008? So I lived there for 5 years? Where did you live at during this time?_

_Later. Now I'm busy stabilizing your life-signs and waking you up from hibernation… Which isn't easy… And your case is a first-timer ever: no – one had been subjected to such a process before…_

_Hibernation…? Cold sleep…? So it's true that you don't dream while in cold sleep… But how do I know that to begin with?_

_The chip implant in you has been feeding you concepts and information during these 5 years and rooted it into your brain's memories and such you would be ready to speak, move and be able to act just like any normal human when you'd woke up today… _

_Oh! I see! So I was prepared to be able to do anything on the first day of my… Eh… "Life", I guess?_

_Yeah. You have the idiom skills and some basic knowledge. But there's nothing to fret because once you can walk outta here then you're gonna meet with your makers. Well… _We're_ gonna met them, actually._

_And where am I?_

_Antarctica. This is a secret lab built underneath an old Indian outpost named Gondwana which was abandoned on the late 50s and early 60s, you see… But what matters is that, right now, I'm injecting the drugs which will provide you with enough energy to make it to the surface hanger where the ride outta here is located at._

_I feel that my arms and legs are getting warmer but I can't move them at all… Is there some reason for that?_

_Yeah. Your body is locked down so that it won't come off the column: the life-support monitor's sensors are attached to your special bodysuit designed to resist these cold temperatures. I'll drain the hibernation fluid since it's no longer needed to begin with._

_Say… You said "makers", right? Didn't you mean my parents?_

_You don't have any. You're a genetically engineered human born via a cloning process… _

_W-whoa!_

_You were born to be at 11 years old, 5 years ago… But they decided to leave you here to grow and mature… I've been watching over you but I only woke up 4 times a year to have a routine check… And your bodysuit's fibers are designed to be expanded and re-grown by nanomachines so it adjusted to your growth… You're now 16 starting today. This day is set to become your "birthday"… I know your body was created and stabilized in May, 2003, but you weren't conscious because you were implanted with this chip implant gizmo to suppress your consciousness and begin your "education"… Alright… Fluid's drained… Heartbeats and other life vitals OK and stable… Don't you feel like your body is going faster?_

_True! I feel like it, yeah…_

They looked out again and saw that the liquid was gone: they now noticed a lot of white plastic wires which formed out of a cylindrical column behind him and attached to white dots on his gray bodysuit's surface using small dome-shaped membranes.

The bodysuit included black gloves and boots which were secured into the place using a thick purple band.

They tried to lift their arms and they replied fast enough: the wires began to jump off on their own and apparently be reeled back at their source: the person took one or two steps forward before extending their arms forward and touching the black surface.

_Is this… glass? _

_Yeah. It's the front end of the capsule… Step back: I'm unlocking it and I'm gonna bring up some handrails to help you wake until the door behind the capsule… Take it slowly! _

The two halves hissed and split open: the person gasped as light came in.

"Whoa!" They spoke aloud for the first time.

They looked at the far wall in front of them which was plain and unadorned as they automatically stepped down the steps: a circuit of handrails following the trail on the ground had formed there and he began to lean on them before turning around.

"So that's where I was sleeping…?"

The interior of the capsule had a central column filled with the ends of the sensors, a detached oxygen mask hanging from it and some metallic restrains for the arms and legs plus the torso.

_Yeah. Follow the circuit and head for the doors. _

"Where are you at?"

_Not yet. I'll tell you later, once you get into the surface. Those are my orders and I'm going to abide by them._

"Our makers gave you those orders 5 years ago? By the way… Your personal pronoun, "oira", sounds cool."

_Really? Thanks, _aibou.

"_Aibou_? Well, why not… It's fashionable."

_Heh, heh, heh. We'll soon get along. Just get to the door and I'll open it up… You'll then climb up while I handle a little something down here which is very important to do…_

"_OK_!"

The guy slowly used the handrails as support as the trekked along the path until he reached the huge doors: the hydraulic pistons which were keeping each lock's half lodged together pulled them backwards and the doorway opened outwards in a silent manner: some fluorescent tubes turned on to reveal a corridor about five meters long and two tall which ended in a vertical shaft.

_Go on: there's no way to get lost. I'm gonna wrap up things here and then I'm gonna catch up with ya. Heh, heh, heh. Finally…! _

"Alright. Meet you up there, I guess."

The guy calmly walked down the corridor in a normal manner: he stepped into a small square metallic platform which immediately began to climb up the rails set on the walls: it soon stopped and he turned around to see another corridor of the same length extend in front of him.

"Guess there's more climbing."

He headed for this second platform and stepped on it: a hatch over his head opened up and the platform stopped at what obviously was ground level and a hanger building which could be heard rattling: it had no windows and the light came from both fluorescent tubes and a small "Dimensional Area" set on the middle of the space.

"Whoa. So that's a "Dimensional Area"…? A prototype technology: but I can't seem to remember what's intended for…"

It turned off on its own and revealed the four "Dimensional Converters" which had been powering it up.

"Whoa!"

Set between the "DCs" was a military jet colored in black paint over its whole body and having a clearly aerodynamic form: it looked like it could be equipped with weaponry but it had none: two small metallic steps were set in either side of the fuselage to help climb into the open cockpit which seemed to be inviting him.

"So this is the ride outta here… Let's climb in!"

He climbed up in an agile manner and calmly buckled the seat-belt while adjusting the breathing mask: the cockpit sealed up on its own and all displays and systems turned on: something close by began to hum as well and the hanger lights came in to reveal two blast doors sealing it off about 10 meters ahead of the planes.

"Eh… Wait a minute! Eh… Voice…? Guide…? Are you there? I thought we were leaving together?" He suddenly called out while looking around.

"Yo."

"W-WHOA!"

A holographic display atop the console turned on to reveal the Navi of the other day who'd taken off the robe and hood.

He was a heavily customized Navi who was about a meter and eighty tall.

His face was young and looked like a guy on his teens: his eyes' irises were purple and they had a hint of amusement to them.

His helmet had a central ruby jewel over the forehead shaped like a cross having four triangle ends: eight lines radiated from the central of it and spread across its surface.

The helmet's main color was navy blue and it was filled with small round and random green dots.

His ear-pads had a white edge and a reddish central body: the Alphabet "I" letter colored purple had been printed there.

His neck had a piece of armor shaped like the Alphabet "V" protecting its base before the start of the chest: it had a cyan edge which split it into two halves the insides of which were colored yellow.

His shoulders were slightly curved square pieces with brown edges, a central silver matrix and five bronze paws forming out of the southern edge which weren't even 5cm long.

His main body color was blue and a central thin purple line spread from the neck's base until his waist, being interrupted by his chest emblem which had the same design as that of his ear-pads.

Some small jade-colored pieces made of two triangles aiming in opposite directions fused at their base were set in columns along the sides of his upper body: none of them were taller than 2cm.

His waist had a belt with three converging rectangular stripes of white edges and black body: they fused in a diamond having a gray body plus a repetition of his Navi emblem on its center.

His arms had purplish DNA imprints painted over their surface.

His forearm armor had a magenta matrix on them while his wrists were colored in a bronze color: his hands were blue in color too and they had a circle with a white edge the insides of which depicted the Katana "I" colored purple: some "stars" were drawn at random over the background of the symbol.

His legs had some round dots set along their height which contained a drawing: the edge was brown, the core of it was purple and eight slightly curved lines painted red stretched from the core: the gaps between each one were colored blue.

The knees contained a circling bracelet colored mahogany and having those two fused triangles on the front colored golden.

The boots were colored purple and had an eight-pointed sapphire set on the inward side just below the ankle: eight thin indigo lines spread from each spook of the sapphire and across the boot.

Overall he was very cool and looked advanced.

"Hiya~… Name's Isaac: your Net Navi _partner_! Nelaus!"

"… Ne… laus? Is that… My name…?" The guy gasped.

"Sure thing... Doesn't it sound unique and cool?"

"Whoa! I now remember…! The "DA" is intended to become a device capable of materializing Net Navis and data within its space but it's still under experimental development by some organization which is named "Nebula"…"

"Yeah. But I can't materialize inside: only Navis with "Materialization Factors" or "Jittaika Inshi" can… "Nebula" seems to have designed them so that only one type of Navi can use it… But this info is 5 years old. We dunno what could've happened in the meanwhile."

"So… We'll work together starting today?"

"Of course. Unless Objection Man has some objections to that…"

"Huh? Is that supposed to be a… joke?"

"Sure thing, _Danna_~… Anyway… This babe's Super-Energy core has finished loading up and it's ready to shoot us away… This plane can achieve Mach 1 so the trip to the rendezvous point shouldn't be too long either…" Isaac smiled.

"Whoa! Mach 1! The speed of sound…!"

"Another reason this was built in Antarctica is that with such wilderness around then the sonic boom will not bother too much: it may bother the scientists closer to the sea but… Meh. By the time anyone comes there we'll be long gone and there'll be no trace of us left. No names and nothing… I blew up the computer with all data from the inside while you made your way up here: I used a fiber optic cable to travel up to a Wi-Fi router and such I got inside of here…"

"Cool."

"Now brace yourself… This take-off is gonna be rough."

The engines began to whistle and a metallic sound rang out: a 3D display showed some kind of plain metallic grid which two pistons had lifted into a 45º angle from the ground about 5 meters behind the plane: the doorways buzzed and unlocked: a snowstorm rushed inside and Nelaus gasped but Isaac wasn't surprised.

"We've got radar so… Engines ready! FIRE~!"

"W-WHOA~!"

The plane vomited energy towards the piece and began to rush out of the hanger and followed a concrete track the sides of which were filled with blinking lights: it soon lifted off without Nelaus touching the controls and began to climb up.

"This snowstorm is low so we'll soon get above it: our max height is 900 meters… Once we've stabilized our height then we'll switch to Mach 1 mode and fly straight to… Jawaii."

"Jawaii? I think they're pretty popular vacation resort islands…"

"Sure… Well! The location is some tens of kilometers SSW of there…"

"Wow. And since we'll be flying at Mach 1 then even this brutal distance will be covered in just a few hours' time…!"

The plane pierced through the clouds and Nelaus had to instinctively close his eyes and place a hand over the shades to protect them from the brightness of the blue sky and the sun.

"Take your time: don't force your eyes."

"A-alright… So… Any teasers from you…?" Nelaus grinned.

"Oho. Feeling impatient, eh? Sorry: but no. I can't say anything until we get to the rendezvous point and we're briefed in."

"Fine. So… My name is Nelaus, right? But I don't have a surname?" Nelaus seemingly wondered.

"No. Maybe they'll give you one later. I don't have one because Net Navis' names don't repeat and "Isaac" alone is good enough already." Isaac exposed with a shrug.

"Hum. And you could do Net Battles, right?"

"Of course. I'm built to accept any Battle Chip but I don't have a PET for the time being. I was installed directly into the computer but I moved all essential files here, to the plane, before destroying it up. I formatted it first too to make sure and the destruction is insurance."

"So… That means that… Our makers don't want any curious guy or gal who drops by there to figure out about us two?" Nelaus looked rather curious and was grinning.

"Sure. I dunno the secrecy but given how you're a unique case in the whole world then they want to keep you secret… You never know: someone might want to use your genome data as basis to figure out how to recreate that process." Isaac warned.

"Ah! Yeah. Good point, Isaac."

"We've almost achieved Mach 1… Get ready!"

"I'm _always_ ready."

The plane thrust forward and formed a huge vapor cone as it entered transonic speed just before it reached the speed of sound: the landscapes flew past at a maddening speed and, looking eastwards, the Andes mountain range could be seen extending north and south.

"We're gonna climb parallel to the western edges of the Ameroupe continents and slowly veer west to get into line with the rendezvous point: when we're less than 15 minutes away I'll cut down speed so that we can safely approach the place."

"Will no – one spot us?"

"I don't think so… And even if they did… Meh! They'd rather think the Ameroupe Air Force is testing some new secret plane!" He sneered and blinked Nelaus the right eye.

"Oho. I see. Speculation will ensue, the Army will deny it but that will only give way to further speculation and such… How clever! Use people's imagination to shake off any trails…"

"Heh, heh, heh. Yeah. It'd seem our makers were very clever and knew people good enough to see through their reactions and read their behaviors…"

"Can I pilot a bit?" Nelaus eagerly asked next.

"Sure. Just grab the controls softly and slowly spin them left to veer slightly west. Very slowly~…" He instructed.

Nelaus did as instructed and the plane slowly veered left before he placed the controls back in the neutral position: he then looked at a touch-screen which had several options there and he picked "MAP": a simple map showed that he'd almost reached the southern end of Central Ameroupe by now.

"Cool. Well then… Let's go meet our makers. I'll be told what my mission in my life is… Why I exist…! I'm boiling with impatience by now."

"Who wouldn't, Nelaus? Heh, heh, heh. Things are about to get cool."

Both chuckled aloud as the plane continued its flight across the skies…


	15. Chapter 15: Briefing

**Chapter 15: Briefing**

12:21 PM (Honolulu Time), Friday June the 27th…

"… Alright! We've slowed down and we're but 11 minutes away from that island I see on the horizon…"

"Wow. So that's the rendezvous point?"

"Surely. Now wait… I gotta check the exact coordinates again…"

"OK. Tell me what to do."

The jet had lowered its height and was approaching an island having a central tall volcano on it: the volcano could be close to 2 kilometers tall and there were no other structures or buildings around the island which made it seem deserted and uninhabited.

"… Unidentified super-energy jet: this is DP Control. ID yourself." A voice suddenly came in through the radio.

"Isaac EXE and Nelaus."

"Ah! We were told to expect you guys. The plane is supposed to land vertically as well, right?"

"Yeah. Where do we land?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Just lower the plane into the crater… You'll soon see the why… Heh, heh, heh."

"Come on, Mike! Don't joke around."

"Lemme shine, Bill."

"Jeez."

"Well. If they say we gotta go into the crater then… Vertical jet system: activate!"

The plane climbed up before switching back to horizontal and started to descend towards a lake which had formed in the crater.

"How are we…?" Nelaus began asking.

He hadn't finished his question yet when the "lake" split into two revealing that it was a hatch painted over as such: the plane began to get inside of the central cylinder which had six landing platforms: the bottom contained seawater and there was a yacht parked there.

"Whoa."

"You're cleared for Platform 4. As in Ford. Harrison Ford." Mike joked over the radio.

"Oh come on! That's a James Bond parody and you KNOW it." Bill growled next.

"Good instinct, by Blofeld! Doesn't this remind you of his base in the movie _You Only Live Twice_?"

"Jeez. I know."

"James Bond? Harrison Ford? Blofeld? _You Only Live Twice_?" Nelaus wondered aloud.

"Dunno." Isaac admitted.

"WHA~T? Ya don't know who James Bond is, dude?"

"No. I… eh… I'm not that fond of cinema." He improvised.

"Man! You're missing life!"

"MIKE! Stop meddling around!"

"W-whoa! Platinum! What's the matter?"

"They're VIP Guests! Ya know what VIP means, right? VERY IMPORTANT PERSON! So shut your trap and play some game but keep an eye on the radar from time to time too!" Platinum snapped.

"A-alright! Don't get so annoyed!"

"I get annoyed when I feel like it! YOU MORONS!"

"… I guess this means these guys are… dynamic?" Nelaus asked Isaac while looking surprised.

"Guess so." Isaac admitted with a shrug.

The plane softly touched down on the platform having a red 4 painted on it and it turned off the engine: Nelaus removed the mask and made sure all was switched off.

"Now… What? I climb down?" He guessed.

"Yeah. Correct. I have to stay here until they tell me if there's a system I can access close by…" Isaac explained to him.

"Alright…"

He pressed the button to open the cockpit and jumped down: he then spotted Anaya (wearing a sleeveless white shirt, jeans and sneakers) followed by Izono (who had his tuxedo on): both were coming from a doorway slightly further in.

"Welcome, Nelaus. We finally meet." She greeted with a grin.

"Eh… Are you my… Hum… My masters…?" He seemingly improvised the last word on the spot.

"… Ah! Yeah. We're the ones who recruited you, yeah."

_I can't say I'm a "creation" here with so many persons present… It'd make me stand out as a freak… It'd seem they understand that._

"Ah! Before anything… Here's a present for you."

She handed him a golden and purple Link PET with Isaac's emblem on it: he picked it up and held it up to look at it from different angles.

"Is this… A PET? It looks more advanced that the one I had in mind."

"Well… Yeah… You probably visited some store which sold old ones for maniac collectors." She grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

_Of course: I almost made a mistake. Everyone nowadays knows what a PET looks like… Luckily they improvised for me…_

"It's named Link PET. It comes with this arm-strap as well. And it has a cool function as well."

"Heh, heh, heh. Yo."

"YIKES!"

Nelaus accepted the arm-strap and case before the Link PET booted up and Isaac's hologram formed in front of his helmet's shades: he gasped and recoiled from the surprise.

"Wow! This can generate holograms too?"

"Sure. And watch."

Isaac "sat" over his right shoulder and Nelaus looked on, awed.

"Oh! How rude. We haven't introduced ourselves. Anaya Maria."

"Izono Marco."

"Eh… Should I name you Anaya – sama and Izono – sama then?"

"If you want to…" She shrugged.

"Follow us."

Nelaus followed them down a corridor and they then entered a small living room which had a round mahogany table with four chairs set around it, a sofa facing an LCD TV and a drawer set: some scrolls featuring oriental art had been placed on the walls.

"Take a seat. And you can take that helmet out anyway."

"Huh? Ah. True."

Nelaus sat down and removed the helmet: he closed his eyes and waited for a pair of minutes before slowly opening them and getting used to natural light: Anaya handed him a portable mirror.

"So that's my face…"

He had neatly arranged blonde hair which ended at his neck's base and his eyes' irises were green emerald.

_So I have a pretty generic face… But I can't complain. I could have had some accident and end up having a hideous face instead of this…_

"… Yo! Twilight. Come over to the living room."

"Roger."

Anaya had picked the walkie-talkie and called for Yoru Yami.

"Huh? Someone else is coming?" He looked up.

"Yeah. We're gonna introduce you to your _senpai_."

"My _senpai_? So… There were others like me?"

"Yeah. We'll now explain. Wait for a little while."

Yoru Yami came in and lifted his eyebrows but made no commented as he softly closed the door behind him and stood still like a soldier waiting for his orders: Anaya signaled the empty chair to her right, in front of Izono and left of Nelaus: he sat down.

"Alright. Nelaus. This is Yoru Yami but he's got the alias Twilight. He's a researcher…" She introduced.

"Eh… I'm glad to meet you, sir."

"The honor is ours."

Nelaus made the traditional bow and Isaac followed suit: Anaya signaled for them to sit down again.

"Good. See… There were 3 before you."

"Do excuse me, my lady… But is he…?"

"Yeah. He's the 4th Demon Tribe member."

"D-demon Tribe? _Mazoku_? I can become a Demon?"

"What? Oh no! Don't worry. I just came up with that title after seeing some fantasy _anime_." She grinned.

"Ah! I got scared for a moment."

"No wonder. Ah! Name's Isaac." Isaac muttered.

"Good. Now… Both of you. Stay quiet. I want to sum the deal up."

"Roger."

"Well. Nelaus. Twilight and the others were raised from 1999 to 2001 by us: at first each one was unaware of the other two and they got to figure out later when we told them to use their training and impress us. Twilight has been the one who has impressed me further given how he's discovered how to overcome Time – Space… He's visited other worlds and eras and his knowledge is great as well as his experience…"

"W-wow."

"But the other two… One did get to build a gigantic invisible spacecraft which is parked in LEO… And the other became an observer who'd rather just observe, gather data, and, from the knowledge he built up, act upon something. Number One built his own organization while Number Three acted alone before stumbling into some guys and gals who became his _business partners_…" She described.

"So… They failed?"

"Hum. Yeah. And then they got soft."

"Got soft? You mean… They didn't abide by their training?"

"Yeah. And they had the guts to take us down from our seat of power 'cause they didn't want us to remember them their duty. We got locked up until recently hence why we ceased all regular contact with Isaac and we'd forgotten ALL about you… until yesterday!"

"Whoa! So because of them… you almost forgot about me and to provide me coordinates of where to go to when I'd awaken?"

"That's the whole thing in a nutshell. But Twilight here bid his time, showed them how overwhelming his tactics were, and, when the guard had been lowered enough, he made a sure move which brought victory: he rescued us. And we've been living here: this base was built by a person I trusted given their intelligence and their admiration of my business… He saw through the camouflage I'd set up… And that's why I respect him."

"I see. So… Am I supposed to come up with something spectacular?"

"No. We've decided to go for something new. You'll be an expert at Net Battles. Twilight will provide training on them. Since you're totally unknown you'll mingle with the crowds and gather information as well from there and there." Anaya explained.

"I see. Hence why you erased the data on me…"

"Correct. But there's no rush, really. We'll take our time. Twilight is preparing a strategy to keep them busy for the days to come and during that interval you can train. Twilight commands some "Darkloids" and Net Navis and they'll give you insight in battles. They've battled a lot and are veterans who will show Isaac how things work."

"I will be honored to be taught by them."

"Can I ask something?" Nelaus asked.

"Of course."

"Did "Nebula" complete their "DC" research?"

"Huh? Oh! I didn't remember I'd inserted text about "DCs" in your chip implant's software… Well. Yeah. They completed them and got to start a new type of incidents by having the "Darkloids" materialize in the real world but, in the end, they fell. That was slightly over 3 years ago, about March, 2005… The "DCs" have improved a lot since then along with other technologies… But so as to not to overwhelm you we'll be briefing you at a slow rate…" Anaya calmly explained.

"I see."

"Could you go out a moment? There's something private we need to talk with Twilight. Ask for the eastern balcony: there's a nice sight from there and some real fresh air would do you good."

"Roger."

Nelaus calmly came out: Anaya nodded to Izono and he took out a directional microphone he aimed at the door: footsteps could be heard walking away and slowly fading before they couldn't be heard altogether: Izono took out an IR camera next.

"… Coast is clear. My lady."

"Good. Alright, Twilight. Here are some orders."

"Command me."

"One: NEVER mention or bring up any sex-related words or hints. Two: NEVER talk about sadism, masochism or S&M. Three: ALWAYS treat him with respect like a pupil you'd wanted to have. Four: DON'T talk about any of the Net Saviors. Just say the opponents are "the Net Police" and leave it at there. Five: IMPORTANT! No talk about the Hikari twins either. Are these clear enough, Twilight?" She faced him.

"Roger. I will abide by them without doubt." He bowed.

"Good. I'll be persistent about this. Remember: we want him to believe the others were selfish. Yeah, I know, we're the bad guys and all. But it ain't like anyone died, see. The ambulance and train thing can get demoted to being a mere light show."

"That'd be a clever move."

"And the others won't chat about thing since they will believe he's been raised to behave like that or that you trained him or something along those lines: no worries over that either."

"How should I begin the training?"

"From zero… Assume nothing. Teach him about types and then tell him the key to victory are Program Advances. Have him master some and when you see he can pull them up quickly and using strategic thinking then pit him against your guys. Tell them about Isaac if you want but don't degrade him or anything like that: he's going to be a cadet."

"If I tell Freeze Man first then he'll make sure they act properly: our combined persistence will work."

"Fair enough. Handle that spot. But remember my five orders. We won't teach him anything about that yet. Maybe if some months pass then we could advance on that… I put some fail-safes on his genes too like the ones you guys have. We're safe from that angle. He'll be indifferent."

"A brilliant fail-safe: it was to be expected."

"Tee, heh, heh. But today let him get used to living and such: start the training on Sunday."

"As you command. I'll resume working on the strategy."

"Good. And, by the way… _MGS4_ was totally worth it."

"Speaking of such… Could it be that…?"

"Yeah. I modeled him to take a bit after Raiden. Tee, heh, heh."

"I had thought as much. And don't worry. When I taunt those guys I have enough with picking on their usual spots to make them believe I'm getting repetitive and they won't see anything past me."

"Yeah… Make them get filled with that idea…"

"Do excuse me."

"Good morning."

Twilight came out next: Anaya stood up and giggled under her breath while Izono merely checked with the IR camera.

"Say! Marco. You've recorded Liquid's mottoes, right? Play them back: those of Act 4… I feel like it today."

"Roger."

Izono headed over to a table in front of the TV where there was an MP3 player which he connected to the PS3's USB port: he then booted it up and picked a file.

"… We'll shoot a stealth warhead aimed at "J. D"… Correct… We control all firearms and weapons but… The MDWs are being controlled by "J. D."."

"Mass Destruction Weapons… Tee, heh, heh."

"So that's why REX comes in. There are nuclear weapons they don't control over there. Vamp! How are REX's preparations?"

"Vamp's new voice actor fits the guy, really…"

"So it's on satellite orbit… If we can destroy the backbone AI, "J. D.", then… The priority of "G. W." will become 1… And thus all systems under the control of "J. D." will become ours to command."

"Bravo, Liquid – chan."

"Good! Prepare "Haven" to depart anytime."

"And now let's skip forward to the battle with the new RAY…"

"… Snake! Not yet! It ain't over yet! These are the grounds were our fates began! Become the soil of Moses, Snake!"

"And now the battle mottoes… Some may repeat…"

"… There! Wha~t? Well, well. Not bad. There! Well, well. You came! Impossible! You lowlife~! Coming! There! Wha~t? Not yet, not yet! Eat these! Wha~t? There! Die~!"

"Die the die day. _Die Another Day_~…"

Izonor rolled his eyes as if he found the pun to be too silly.

"Wha~t? Snake…! DIE…! Won't…! What a pity! But that won't work this time around… This is the freedom we've earned! "Outer Haven"! Look on…! I'll destroy "J. D." with this fateful rail gun. And then all will end: all will begin! But! _Kyoudai_! You lowlife will become a grave-marker in this noteworthy island! Be crushed by "Haven"!"

"And then Raiden manages to win time for Snake to escape at the cost of his right arm and falling into the water while admitting that, despite what he'd said, he still had feelings for Rose…"

"… Che! Damned fossil."

"The _Missouri_ sure is a fossil but it bites like if it was a Kabutops."

Izono slapped his face in defeat: he was fed up with her puns.

"Tee, heh, heh. I've gained a new ace in the sleeve! If those guys thought I was cornered… I ain't! Things are going to get fun and really fun!"

_I'm a GENIUS! Those guys can't realize it! Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!_


	16. Chapter 16: The leader's aunt

**Chapter 16: The leader's aunt**

13:36 PM (Honolulu Time), Saturday June the 28th…

"… Jade! We found them."

"Ah! Good news, Platinum!"

"Yeah. But…"

"How much do they want?"

"Well. We didn't contact them yet. We found a forum in which they post about military projects' speculation…"

"Isn't that the one I post from time to time?"

"Correct. But…"

"What. Shoot it out already. If he's hired already then I don't care but we can try to wait for him to post and trace him."

"Y-you won't get mad at me if I quote something, right?"

"Of course not. Be a cool guy."

Opoulos was meeting with Platinum on his office: Platinum carried a clipboard with some documents on it and looked nervous while Opoulos was frowning.

"W-well… They've posted a message…"

"And they say the "Committee" hired him?"

"N-no, w-well, t-that's…"

"Read it already!" He snapped.

BLAM!

"R-roger! Huh… "My own conspiracy motto: the real leader of "Deadly Pandora" is Jade Panther's evil, blessed and repellent aunt"…" Platinum quoted from the clipboard.

"WHAT? MY AUNT? AUNT DEPHORA? SHE DIED 8 YEARS AGO!"

"W-well… That's why I… Huh? Jade?"

Opoulos played deaf and opened a drawer to pick the notebook computer he owned: he placed it atop the desk and plugged the charger as he booted it up.

"Nya~h! I'm about to tell them what I think of their antiques!"

"A-antiques? Don't you mean their rudeness or lack of respect?" Platinum frowned.

"Whatever in the Platonian ever! By Plato! They'll hear me out. You don't mess with a Greek! And even less a Greek like ME!"

"Oh boy…"

"GET OUT!"

Platinum didn't wait to be told twice and ran off while closing the door behind him: Opoulos cursed something in Greek before he accessed the forum and logged in.

"Here you are! They're online! Good! I'll send them a PM! "You antique-loving octopus! How dare you mess with MY aunt?"…"

He clicked the "send" button and not even 3 minutes later a ping rang out to signal an incoming reply PM.

"I thought that the user "Jade-Panther" was a coincidence."

"Hmpf! Whatever. I've got a job for you. What's your usual fare?"

"Highest I ever got was 25000, 7 months ago…"

"I offer you access to an untraceable account having _two million_ there: you can draw any amount you want in an anonymous and untraceable manner."

"W-whoa! Alright, _Danna_. Tell me what I gotta do, I'll evaluate the good and bad parts and give you a reply in about 30 minutes."

"Fine. I'll post in this PM the relevant technical data my computer geeks gathered up for you to have as references."

"By "computer geeks" you mean those "Darkloid" guys?"

"Hmpf. I'd forgotten they had some fame to them. Here's the data!"

"… Alright. Give me 30 minutes and I'll reply to you. Don't tell me the account data yet. I want to evaluate the risks."

"Fine."

"See ya in 30 minutes' time."

Opoulos grinned and quickly wrote an email addressed to "doctor-yoru-yami yahoo com" using his gmail account.

"I got the octopus in the net. Reel it in and eat them if you may."

"Roger. Swallow Man will follow the trail: he's the fastest."

"Excellent. Come to my office as well and if you can bring your disciple along then… I'd like to meet him. I couldn't yesterday because I was busy with some client meetings."

"Delighted. We'll be there in 10 minutes."

Opoulos nodded in approval and stretched back while grinning and distractedly tapping the edge of the desk with his fingers as some classical music played out of the computer: the buzzer in the door rang out and he checked on the CCTV camera before unlocking it.

"Good morning, Dr. Yoru Yami… So you're Nelaus and Isaac?"

"Yes, Mr. Jade. Twilight – _senpai_ briefed me in, sir."

"We're honored, sir."

Nelaus stepped in along with Yoru Yami.

Today he wore a simple white buttoned shirt with short sleeves, black shorts with a leather belt and sandals.

He was toying with the Link PET by tossing it into the air and catching it again as it fell down.

"Twilight – sama: this is Swallow Man."

"Swallow Man. How's the hunt for octopus like?"

"Pretty neat. I tracked a colony and I'm three quarters of the way to meet them. I'd guess another 278 seconds."

"About 5 minutes?" Nelaus calculated.

"Sure. Were Yamato Man's basic fencing lessons useful?" Swallow Man asked Isaac over Opoulos' notebook computer.

"Of course they were: now I have an idea of how to fight back in a sword fight." Isaac grinned and folded his arms.

"OK! I'll teach about aerial war when I have time, after this job. I'm getting closer: the trail's turned hot. About… 211 seconds…"

"Less than 4 minutes… About 3 and half minutes… Good, good. Are you keeping track of any major country jumps?" Yoru Yami asked.

"I am, Twilight – sama. I've crossed over Honolulu City, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Jakarta… And now I've reached Sapporo City in Hokkaido. I'd say I need another 173 seconds to find the source."

"Good enough. Their reply won't come for 15 minutes but the trail is still hot and they were careless because they need to stay logged to reply in a fast manner. Learn this, Nelaus. Money is one of the best incentives you can use to lure people into trap. It fills their heads: they only think of it and their own over-confidence shoots back at them. People are greedy and arrogant and selfish. Don't trust them too easily."

"I understand, Twilight – _senpai_."

"Hmmm… 148 seconds… Less than two and a half minutes…"

"Heh! There's no way in which they can erase such a long trail in that little time: they'll be caught with the pants down, you see."

"Huh? How can you know they'll be at the restroom?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh no! That's a motto. It's another way to say they'll be caught with the guard down and without any preparations. Our strike will hit them and hard. Go, Swallow Man! Unveil their ugly hide!"

"Delighted, _Danna_! Roughly 111 seconds…"

"In the meanwhile… I'll play back these mottoes… Don't worry if you don't understand them out of their context: I just like to hear to them." He took out a cell-phone and browsed into its menus.

"Do as you like." Opoulos invited as he lit a cigar.

"Heh, heh, heh… 95 seconds… About a minute and a half…"

"… You've awakened, Snake? Look on. The war's over. Stop you? What would I gain from that? This is the ending I was wishing for! Back before Father's age… There was a secret organization linking Ameroupe, Choina and Soviet Sharo…"

"Wow." Nelaus whistled.

"So… Some war ended and those who made it end thought this guy, the speaker, would stop them but instead he wanted them to do just that in the first place?" Isaac deduced.

"Bravo." Yoru Yami grinned.

"Hmmm… Some heavy traffic in the general Kansai routers… I'll have to pick a detour… But I must be 54 seconds away by now so…"

"… I'm talking about before Zero created the "Patriots"… It was a secret organization named the "Wise-men's Council"… It quickly expanded and stretched its roots throughout the two World Wars… The "Wise-men", who had broken into pieces after the World War, began to fight around their remaining funds… A great sum of money named "Wise-men's Inheritance"… Which Zero would later use as the funding for the "Patriots"… Zero used that and plotted to control the world."

"Yikes. It sounds scary, alright." Isaac muttered.

"Sure…"

"Sorry for the delay: someone's messed with the warp ports and I'm ending up at random routers and gateways scattered across the whole of Kansai… I guess our guy does live in Oosaka yet…" Swallow Man reported.

"He doesn't want to make it easy for us to reach the city. His reply is about 11 minutes away. We gotta act now while they're distracted trying to evaluate if breaking into a "Committee" branch is possible."

"… Our father, Big Boss, desired to be free from that siege. Big Boss sought to create an army of free citizens, an army which wouldn't be dependent of any government… That was "Outer Heaven". But he failed. Because of your interference…"

"… Now I've picked the trail again! This is designed to throw off amateur or automated tracers but it won't work on me. Gimme a minute or two and I'll close on them…"

"Good."

"9 years ago I sought to free us from genetic control."

"Genetic control…!" Nelaus lifted his eyebrows slightly.

"And, 5 years ago, our Brother, Solidus, sought to free us from the information control of the "Patriots"…"

"Information control…" Isaac looked curious.

"All of them were but a process of trial & error which would lead into "Haven"… Release from the ultimate form of soldiers' external control by the "Patriots"… "Release from "Sons of the Patriots"."

"A process of trial and error…"

"… Freedom from FOXDIE…! Freedom from the System…! Freedom from individual recognition…! And… Releasing of the imprisoned consciousness…! That's the "Haven" I've been wishing for."

"Cool." Isaac whistled.

"Aha-hah! Found them… The circle is stretching… Oosaka City, near the port, I've limited it to a 200 meters radius… Close!"

"Good! Shrink it further!"

"Roger, _Danna_!"

"Well then… _Kyoudai_! This is the end. The battle ended yet…"

"Yet?"

"We're not free yet!"

"It's gotta be hard to break free, yeah…"

"The war's over. What's left is… To reach a personal conclusion! Come! Snake…! Sna~ke!"

"… 50 meters' radius… Close, very close…"

"Now… These are the in-battles mottoes so some will repeat…"

"Sna~ke! Sna~ke! Eat this! Eat this! Wha~t? Eat this! Not bad! _Kyoudai_! Sna~ke! Wha~t? What in the...? Not bad! _Kyoudai_! Eat this! What in the…? Not bad! _Kyoudai_! Go to Hell!"

"Through a secret door…?" Opoulos joked.

"It could be!" Yoru Yami sneered.

"25 meters' radius…! Hot, too hot… Heh, heh, heh." Swallow Man reported with a chuckle.

"Their reply will take another 4 minutes…"

"Let's go~! Let's go~! It ain't over!"

"Until time runs out…?" Isaac tried to joke.

"Guess that." Nelaus shrugged.

"From now on, Snake… Ameroupe's order will be lost. Society will regress to the western settlement period's chaos… I guess that will-o'-wasp will spread across the world… A world where anyone can achieve the fullness of life through battle… Father… Big Boss… The "Outer Heaven" inheritor of his will is finally complete… By now… I guess Father is gloating somewhere out there… We're artificial beasts… If you don't erase "Light" the "Shadow" won't vanish… As long as there is "Light"… Erasing "Shadow" is meaningless… I'm Liquid's _doppelganger_… You're… That man's _doppelganger_… As expected of that man's son… Good _sense_…!"

"Alright. That's all. How's the hunt like, Swallow Man?"

"Reduced it to 6 meters…!"

"Their reply needs 2 minutes. Maybe they're writing it by now. Cosmo Man! Have you noticed anything in the forum server given Swallow Man's live reports?"

"Not yet, Twilight – sama."

"3 meters' radius…! Gotta be this 7-story apartment block with 4 apartments per story… 28 inhabitants… I'll try to see if any particular goes out from the basement telephone lines' cupboard and into the street vault…" Swallow Man replied.

"Nothing over here…"

"Found some outgoing data…! Story 4, Apartment 4… Registered at the name of "Sonkada"… I'm going up there!"

"Good!"

"They've logged in. Password is "aikokushatachi2008!"…"

"Heh! They're into MGS too. "Patriots 2008!"… Since we finally got to learn the truth about them…"

"… The firewall… Three layers! Looks customized…"

"No wonder."

"Ah! Their reply… "Fine. Doesn't look too hard: I could do it in about 20 minutes… Don't give me any money yet: I'm considering it a level-up in my challenges… Is there any particular data you want or do I fetch you the network and system trees?"… Heh, heh, heh. "Both."… "Deal."…"

"… Uranus?" Swallow Man suddenly wondered aloud.

"Huh? Uranus, you say?" Yoru Yami frowned.

"I tried to come closer to the firewall, which was colored in an eerie black color… I touched it and a rectangular black opening formed all of a sudden: I lost balance and got inside…"

"And…?"

"And now I'm somewhere which looks like the Reverse Cyber World: a gigantic hologram of Uranus about 2 meters tall is located behind me but I don't see anything else… Like I'd been brought to another Cyber World altogether to begin with…" Swallow Man described.

"They've logged out." Cosmo Man reported.

"But since we know their address…" Opoulos exhaled some smoke.

Nelaus coughed and Opoulos seemed to realize something so he aimed it at the ceiling's fan instead.

"No offense, Mr. Jade, but… That thing smells TOO BAD…" Nelaus protested.

"My bad. I forgot that."

"… Now I've reached some kind of central plaza which has a solid ground and all and several locked doorways… A large 3D globe of the Earth is located here, spinning, and displaying many orbits of military satellites and the ISS…" Swallow Man reported next.

"Almost like they expected us to come and they brought him elsewhere: doesn't that sound like it?" Cosmo Man ventured.

"… Che! _Kyoudai_! I see! They tricked us from the start to the end! Cosmo Man! Quick! Monitor that no suspicious data tries to come into the base from the forum's server! Forget about the other guy! Mr. Opoulos: log-out immediately and shut down the Wireless switch of your computer! Yamato Man, Cloud Man! Guard the firewall: check its status and any outgoing connections! Check on all staff here including the DP Control guys!" Yoru Yami ordered in a rush.

"Che!"

Opoulos quickly switched off his computer and stored it on the drawer while Nelaus merely lifted his right eyebrow.

"Excuse me, but… Which of the two is involved?"

"Vadous! Number One. I've got a score to settle with the guy. Number Three quit being involved into this a year ago."

"Va-do-us… Has an odd ring to it…" Isaac muttered.

"Curious. It contains "us" like my name does…" Nelaus realized.

"So that means that…?"

"That you're inside of _kyoudai_'s space-ship and that the Oosaka address is a _cul-de-sac_ to begin with! Your connection is being allowed through to allow us to hear and taunt us at the same time. Damned clever sneaky and plotting mice…!"

"Who dares to defy the Demon Tribe's World?"

"Che! Omega! I know it's you! Come out! I won't lose!"

"Mwah, hah, hah… The servant's been resurrected!"

"You're not Omega…? Damn it. Sigma!"

"Black Demon – sama~ has come~! Super Man wannabe!" Sigma taunted in the other end of the line.

"W-W-WHAT? SUPER MAN WANNABE? ME?"

"You've got red and blue and ya can fly~…"

"Damn you!"

"So! Did Vincent send ya his present of presents?"

"What the hell is that…? I dunno who Vincent is to begin with!"

"Oh my! Guess your _Danna_ forgot about the fella: you did hire him last summer but he got cocky and screwed it up royal style!"

"Don't speak, you two!" Yoru Yami whispered to Nelaus and Isaac.

"So then? Ya ready to have each of your feathers plucked away~?"

"Sure as Hell! Dark Generator: Activate! Hra~h! Air Dive!"

"Mwah, hah, hah… OK! Let's go, bad boy~… COME AT FULL POWER!"


	17. Chapter 17: Demon & bird

**Chapter 17: Demon & Bird**

14:04 PM (Honolulu Time), Saturday June the 28th…

"… Air Dive!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Demon Fires!"

"Shit!"

"Bad, bad boy~…"

Swallow Man dived for Sigma but he merely extended his left hand and let all kinetic energy Swallow Man had be channeled there: he began to hover about 2cm over the ground and let the recoil push him back while Swallow Man began to lose speed and strength: he flew upwards and tried to dive for Sigma with his talons extended: Sigma merely pulled his right leg and began to swing him around in 90º arches to have him hit the floor over and over again: Swallow Man groaned.

"So?"

"Damn it! Where's "Octopus – han" at, you black demon?"

"Mwah, hah, hah… Boss told him to give 'im a copy of the encryption protocols and he set up everything like this… He's a genius, ya know! This HQ is the biggest proof of all them! Ain't it, Dr. House~?"

"DR. HOUSE? ME? You're DEGRADING ME?" Yoru Yami howled over Swallow Man's line.

"Ya never know."

"So! Twilight. About time you stuck out your worm-tongue." Vadous' voice echoed out.

"Hmpf! _Kyoudai_. You'd be better off killing FOXDIE off!"

"Sure, sure."

"You may trick Mr. Jade, but I won't be tricked so easily! You won't have it easy to find IQ – sama~! You lowlife will not set your dirty and muddy hands on them! My word! By Damnation and Damn!"

"I'm not over yet! Dark Sword! Eat this!"

"Vaccine Chip: Fire!"

"What? Vaccine Chip fired at the Dark Sword, you say?"

Sigma formed a small blue square object with the Hikari crest on it which looked like the device atop a Battle Chip Gate: it glowed and shot a blast of white energy at the incoming Dark Sword (a Dream Sword colored purple) turning it white: Sigma grabbed it with his left hand.

"By all the…!"

"Dream Sword!"

He hit the floor with it and Swallow Man jumped into the air to dodge but the thing suddenly split into eight columns which began to circle clockwise around him to then converge one after the other and inflict harm to his body: Swallow Man growled.

"Fuck! Dark Cannon!"

"Once more!"

"No way!"

Sigma repeated his trick and caught the blast of the Dark Cannon with his left hand: some ripples of energy formed there and he shot them forward followed by the blast which split into nine beams which all pierced through Swallow Man's body at different spots: he growled and stepped back while clutching some of them.

"Fuck! I'm getting pounded here!"

"That's because we haven't been wasting our time since the winter: I knew you'd come back with these and prepared this system to shoot them back at you guys…" Vadous calmly told them.

"Wha~t?" Yoru Yami growled.

"So. Twilight. Not so confident anymore…?"

"Go to Hell!"

"If you'd show me how…"

"Nya~h! I want Ra's al Ghul to slaughter you!"

"Then send him after me."

"Che! Go! Pawns!"

"Oh shit."

Those "soldiers" which had been at the "Zoanoroid" hideout a few days ago suddenly formed and began to rise up across the Cyber World: Sigma growled and made his eyes glow red.

"Demon Fire!"

He shot two thick red lasers which travelled across the ground and set the puddles in flames: some were deleted but the "soldiers" began to split into two halves of equal size to then generate their other missing half: soon there were over a hundred of them.

"Fuck. Commander Omega, Blood, Zero!"

"It's our turn! Let's go!"

One doorway unlocked and the three of them rushed out before it locked up again: Omega drew his gun, Blood Shadow had the shotgun loaded and Zero had built up energy on his sword.

"Eat plasma rounds!"

"Eat shotgun!"

"Eat sword!"

Omega shot a spheroid of white searing hot plasma which beat about 10 of the enemies: Blood Shadow let 5 of them get close and then shot to blow them up: Zero dashed around and began to slice them up.

"Hmpf!" Yoru Yami sneered.

"Hah!" Swallow Man got cocky.

"It's over! Demon Sword!"

He suddenly jumped into the air and seemed to bend light around him to form a circle which shrunk and hid his body before the inverse phenomenon appeared right behind Swallow Man: the guy turned to see Sigma wielding his sword and building up energy there while looking about to unleash it.

"EAT THIS!"

He suddenly formed a wide arc with the sword and the energy release sent Swallow Man flying plus opening wounds on his body: het hit the floor, hard, before he snarled and jumped into the Earth hologram to vanish inside of its body.

"I left the exit open in purpose. Let them head back to their base and I know it was pointless to put a tracer on them because they would search for that to begin with…" Vadous muttered, resigned.

"You bunch of freaks! Here's big guy who's come to beat ya!"

Sigma set some more puddles in fire but they began to move around and split into smaller portions to generate newer enemies: some gathered together and gave form to the "Gekkou" units as well.

"Suicide Gekkou next…? Let's take them out quickly! Go for it!" Omega growled as he dashed for them.

"Hah! Eat sword!"

"Cut them up!"

"Blow up!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Struggle, struggle AND STRUGGLE~!" Yoru Yami taunted them as a purplish "face" formed in front of them.

This "face" was but a round disk made of purple energy and the edges of which were undulating and shifting in height, length and thickness: very faint lines drew a pair of eyes, a nose and a mouth.

"Shit. The same face of 3 years ago… And you're gonna bring out that thing next? The giant freak…?" Vadous demanded.

"Who knows? Maybe yeah maybe no…!"

"Oh. Shut up already and do us a favor."

"I won't! I want to see you struggling in vain before ending up sinking into a watery grave~! Solidus will bring out the Harrier 2 and shoot all of you lowlifes out of the skies next!"

"So! That means you recreated Arsenal Gear and you guys are using it as a hideout, eh?" Vadous tried to taunt.

"Hmpf!"

"Damn it. I'm fed up with these. Let's bring up the sound-wave program and put an end to these lowlifes once and for all."

Omega produced a device which began to emit high-pitched sound waves: the enemies stopped and their bodies began to agitate before they broke down into data and got deleted: they sighed in relief.

"This is Davis. I already removed the fake firewall and all from that empty apartment we used as luring point for them…"

"Sorry for the burden, Charles." Vadous sighed.

"Don't mind it. Twilight! If you start to pick on my "Justice Council" companions again then I'll paint you with pink color!" Charles challenged the guy.

"Come anytime, Morgan's tribe heir!"

"Fuck. I'm fed up with that. I'm off to cooling off. Let's go, Dave."

"Davis, not Dave, Charlie~ Team…"

"I'm off to hunting for any rumors or hints." Zero sighed.

"I cut the connection already since it was impossible to decode to begin with, anyway… Now we know what to expect from them."

"If only we could take them out in one hit…" Blood Shadow sighed.

"Che. They spoiled my good mood already… The jerks!"

10:20 AM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 29th…

"… Heh, heh, heh. You like being in the middle, eh, Tooru – kun?"

"Sure. And I don't mind being in the front either. It feels good."

"Oh…! O~h… Netto – kun, Saito – kun… I MISSED these!"

"Heh, heh, heh. No wonder, Tooru – kun. But this was a little thing to sacrifice for the sake of the "E Days"!"

"And we all got very good grades… Even Dekao - kun managed to pass everything same Math… He had to apply for a special retry exam and barely managed to score a 5… Really…"

Netto and Saito were having sex with Tooru on his bedroom: they'd lowered the blinders and turned out the light as if to set up some scenery during that.

Saito was lying face-down on the bed but arching his legs backwards: his ass was being penetrated by Tooru's cock as he sat on his knees and Netto was doing the same to Tooru from behind.

The three of them had clipped plastic clothes pegs to their nipples and they each had a black silicon 5cm wide vibrator stuffed into them: Netto also had a string of white anal beads up his ass too.

Saito was rubbing his cock as Netto licked Tooru's ears from behind and Tooru held into Saito's waist: Netto teased his balls by pulling their skin.

"Heh, heh, heh! Our threesomes are back. And we never grow tired of them: they help vent off tension and bad mood too. And you _love_ being in the middle, Tooru – kun. You like to feel how you're fucked and how you fuck the guy in front of you too." Netto told him.

"I k-know…! Last summer… I met Kuroshiro – kun… And we had a hot night together… It was fun… I think I actually was his first… And he made up having experience with it before…" Tooru moaned.

"Heh, heh, heh. Tooru – kun's penis feels as nice as usual. But since there's some room left back there then the vibrators fill that up."

"I heard from Omega about the attempt to lure them out and lure them out it sure did… But we'd forgotten about those freakish things: we gotta stay on our toes and remember our sword techniques to fight them back along with the ultrasounds…" Netto muttered.

"Let's not try to vent that off on Tooru – kun, Netto – kun."

"OK, Saito – niisan. Let me release and then we swap places. Man: the clothes pegs are good to keep you stimulated and excited… Maybe Enzan or Laika will want to try us out one day: I think that they're bidding their time and being careful…" Netto replied.

"Huh… But we wouldn't stop meeting, right?" Tooru asked.

"Of course not: that wouldn't change anything."

"T-thanks."

"Don't mind it: we're friends! But it's a good idea to send Ice Man away to play with Aqua Man… They get engrossed and since you give them permission to come back anytime… I heard they went to the new skating ring as well…" Netto grinned.

"S-sure… Man… It feels SO GOOD!" Tooru moaned.

"But we've always swapped places from time to time too… And I gotta agree that the middle of a threesome in this style is cool. Then we can get into the other pose for double penis sex."

"You love to feel our cocks up your ass, eh, Tooru – kun?"

"I do…! I do…! But I also like putting mine into you, Netto – kun… I don't know why your ass feels good…"

"Dunno. Maybe because I'm a lucky guy~…"

"Speaking of luck… Dragon – san's newest banner WAS weird."

"T-the Choina cook onboard the Subspace HQ, right…? You told me about him before, yeah… He's very polite and all but he makes up weird recipes because he's always "in Master Confucius' world" and doesn't pay attention to the surroundings… What did he print this time?"

"According to Omega… "Luck itself is a sin. Let the sinners hit the floor and shatter their vice and greed."…" Netto quoted while rolling his eyes.

"What in the… Sounds like someone tried to insert the Drowning Pool hit song _Bodies_ into a proverb mockery…!"

"I know. Dragon – san's second problem: he glances very fast at those posts in the Cyber World and prints them without reading them twice to begin with… The only thing which seems to make him react is the mention of some "Anger God"… And I dunno why he gets scared by that. Blood said that he once fainted when he tried to play it to snap him out of the weird moods… And his KILOMETRIC titles are exasperating too… He always has the habit of starting his next speech with "the humble cook"… Humble he sure is but as a cook… Man." Saito exposed while distractedly rubbing his own cock with the right hand.

"There! Pinch!"

"Uah! I'm going off!"

Netto suddenly pulled Tooru's clothes pegs and he released: his own release triggered Netto's one and Saito had released as well to have his ass grip into Tooru's cock.

"Heh, heh, heh." Netto chuckled.

"Huff, huff… How intense…!" Tooru muttered.

"Intensity Man dropped by…" Saito giggled.

"OK. What do we do next?"

"Let's stuff our penises into him… Take out his vibrator, Netto – kun, and hand me one set of anal beads… And this time around let's set them to MAX instead of MIN… It'll be intense!"

"Roger, Saito – niisan!"

"O~h! Please! Pretty please! Do that! I missed that too!" Tooru looked eager by now.

"You're the nostalgic type, eh, Tooru – kun?" Saito grinned.

"Yeah… Please!"

"Sure. Wait a min: we need to get into position. This spare vibrator is for you: tease your cock's head."

"Sure…"

Tooru sat down on the bed with Netto's cock still inside of him: Netto took out the vibrator which he handed to him while Saito stuffed another set of anal beads into him: he then rubbed his cock and lifted Tooru's legs to aim his cock upwards and slide it inside of him along with Netto's: Tooru began to moan while they switched their vibrators' speed to MAX: their mosquito-like sound increased and they began to moan too as they moved Tooru up and down: Tooru was teasing his cock's exposed head with his own vibrator too.

"O~H!" He moaned.

"Man! This is FUN!" Netto laughed.

"Sure! It'd been ages since I'd felt so great! O~h!"

"Netto – kun, Saito – kun…! More! Thrust more into me!"

"We all got into the mood, eh, Saito – niisan?"

"O-obviously… Heh, heh, heh…!"

"MORE! I WANT… MORE!" Tooru was ecstatic by now.

"Huh! I can feel it coming!" Netto gasped.

"Me too… But…!"

Saito suddenly gripped Tooru's balls and he moaned as he released in several vigorous bursts which stained his upper body and face: both of them also released and overfilled his insides: they felt the stuff sliding down their cocks and grinned.

"Huff. Very intense, yeah. Let's repeat it one day." Netto grinned.

"Sure. We could meet twice or thrice a day and our parents wouldn't object 'cause we go out and interact with our friends, you see."

"Huh… Heh… Heh, heh, heh… The white world…" Tooru weakly muttered while sounding like he'd reached his climax.

"Man. These vibrators make you feel great too." Netto commented as he took his out.

"I know. Let's cleanse them, disinfect them and store them for next time around as well… Along with the beads and the clothes pegs…"

"T-time to cleanse up…" Tooru seemed to snap out of it.

They both removed their cocks from Tooru's ass and they stood up to take out the stuff which they left in a plastic platter close by: they put on their boxers and socks and then looked at each other: they began to compare heights.

"I think I'm about 5cm taller than Tooru – kun." Netto grinned.

"I gotta be about 6cm taller then." Saito looked amused.

"Well. I don't mind it. But I like it that I can feel my head against your chests when you hug me and thrust from below…" Tooru admitted with a shrug.

"Heh, heh, heh. Really… I settled my mind on it time ago… I don't have any interest in Meiru – chan… We just want to be classmates."

"Roll – chan seems to suspect something but she seems to have been expecting it: I guess she's more open-minded."

"Yaito – chan admitted she'd put a bug on me last summer and told Meiru – chan about my "affair" with Kuroshiro – kun… She got mad at me afterwards but I said we hadn't agreed on anything so… She let it go and I had a little discussion with Yaito – chan over her "teasing games"…"

"Really… Yaito – chan seems to like to call for trouble!"

"At least Glyde tries to keep her in check. Girls…" Saito sighed.

"There's no understanding them. I'd rather stay a mile away!"

The three of them rolled their eyes and sighed in defeat…


	18. Chapter 18: Drilling and meeting

**Chapter 18: Drilling and meeting**

09:17 AM (Honolulu Time), Wednesday July the 1st…

"… Program Advance!"

"Fire, Elec, Aqua, Bamboo Sword! Slot In!"

"Elemental Sword!"

"Come!"

"Roger!"

Isaac was fighting Yamato Man inside of the "Deadly Pandora" HQ Cyber World while having formed the Elemental Sword Program Advance: Nelaus' Operator window showed him concentrated and serious: Isaac dashed towards Yamato Man who brought up his spear.

"Eat this!"

"Huh!"

Yamato Man blocked two of the attacks by quickly changing his spear's angle but another two managed to land on his waist and left two blue and green cuts there: Yamato Man stepped back and Isaac did the same while drawing a Buster weapon having round crystals set in three circles spinning its outer body.

"Crystal Buster! Hail mode!"

"What!"

He charged up an attack and shot it at the sky to form a shower of hail which began to blow across the area and damaged both combatants by making cuts to them: Isaac grinned and flipped into the air to then turn on jets on his boots' soils.

"Program Advance!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Hum! Come!"

"Fire~!"

Isaac shot the Giga Cannon and Yamato Man quickly spun his spear around: the main blast suddenly split into nine portions: the outer ones bounced off the revolving spear but the central one did hit and burn part of his right hand's armor.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade! Slot In!"

"Let's go! Isaac Jet!"

Isaac ignited his jets again and took profit of the very small space of time Yamato Man needed to grip the spear again with the right hand to get through his defenses and leave a cut on the right side of the torso: Yamato Man merely began to thrust his spear forward at different heights and lengths so Isaac pulled back.

"Huff! This IS intense." Nelaus muttered.

"Sure. We began training right in Saturday and it's already Wednesday: we train 4 times a day and we're quickly climbing up."

"Hra~h! Thousand Spear!"

Isaac calmly lifted his blade and used it block some thrusts while he ducked to dodge others or flipped left, right and back with grace as if he was an acrobat: Yamato Man was relentless on his incoming attacks but Isaac seemed to be getting the hang of them.

"Hum! This one learns quickly. I guess it should be expected of someone like him: given how Twilight – sama's Mistress created them… And if Twiligth – sama has reached such levels this young man can also climb level very quickly… But! I haven't been holding back. Yet he still has to face the "Dark Generator"… Maybe next time around…"

"Nelaus! Give me a Wide Blade."

"Roger, Isaac! Battle Chip, Wide Blade! Slot In!"

"OK! Here comes my new tactic! Hrah! Hah!"

Isaac quickly crossed his swords and then had his Long Blade meet Yamato Man's spear just below the spear itself while Isaac hit the left hip with the Wide Blade next: Yamato Man didn't flinch and quickly broke the deadlock: he landed four or five blows on Isaac who didn't even lift an eyebrow upon receiving them: he simply flipped back with grace and jumped into the air.

"Program Advance!"

"Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Slot In!"

"Zeta Cannon!"

"Go!"

The five shots of the Program Advance did little because four of them got deflected and the SE one just scratched the right knee's armor without actually damaging it: Isaac let the recoil push him across the air and he landed with grace back on the ground.

"OK! F goes Z! Program Advance!"

"Roger! Fumikomi Sword, Triple Slot In!"

"Zeta Fumikomi!"

Isaac dashed forward, warped and appeared next to Yamato Man while striking thrice from different angles: Yamato Man blocked two attacks but the third did drew a cut across his torso from the SW to the NE but it was very superficial and just got to cut about half of his armor's plating.

"Not bad. You've pulled up all these Program Advances without flinching or getting tired… Your passion is your fuel!"

"Sure, Yamato Man – dono."

"And, also… You strategies are focused on trying to seek weak spots in my guard and not to actually inflict damage: you seek to break through defenses and hit the opponent without caring for the counters."

"Yeah. I felt those five blows but I merely thought nothing of them and didn't lose focus on the ongoing battle."

"Heh, heh, heh. You interest me: you're a new type of opponent altogether… Compared to the "Net Police"… They are still very novice: not trying to control pain… They seem to have a mania of believing controlling pain is bad. But whatever…"

"They gotta be old-fashioned. As old-fashioned as tape recorders..."

"Mwah, hah, hah! Now, that was a good one."

"Maybe we could leave it at this spot, Yamato Man – dono?"

"Hum. Yes. You're improving at a mad speed yet… You still have to know the power of our "Dark Generator"…"

"So, Nelaus. It'd seem you're progressing." Yoru Yami's voice rang out from the real world.

"Yeah, Twilight – _senpai_. But I'm not confident. I just do what I can and try to understand what they're trying to protect with their strategy: if I focus a lot of attacks on that they eventually end up exposing it in some desperate attempt to protect the weak point…"

"Good analysis! If you go into battle seeking to force them to expose their weak points then you'll quickly get the upper hand because they won't be able to properly respond to an opponent like you… The hail and other weather effects can work to get them nervous and increase the pressure upon them… Heh, heh, heh..."

"Good thinking, Twilight – sama!"

"Thanks, Yamato Man. You're doing your best too. I'll soon grant you a field mission too… To cause some chaos out there… And sending them to chase ghosts and blind alleys… I'd like to lead them to the Siberian tundra even. Heh, heh, heh…"

Nelaus stepped two paces away from the Net Battling machine (which was identical to the ones used in Game Centers): while Yoru Yami spoke with Yamato Man: he looked in a good mood.

"By the way… Did that "Vadous" get to figure anything in the end? Like an approximate idea of where this base is at or…"

"Huh? Ah! No. The encryption was too powerful and they knew trying to set a tracer on Swallow Man was pointless so… They don't go for pointless things." He shrugged.

"So, that "Charles" guy is part of some "Justice Council", an organization allied to the "Net Police"… And they chase big fishes?"

"Yeah. They're sharp, I'll admit that. But it's not like just 10 of them will change the world either. Heh, heh, heh."

"Hum. Well. "Nebula" was just four in total and they were changing the world with their "Dimensional Areas" technology and how battles were now being fought in the real world instead." Yamato Man muttered.

"Ah. Good point, yeah… Well. But it's not like they _intend_ to do that: their name is an attempt at sounding cool by imitating the DC Comics' "Justice League"…"

"Hum! I hadn't spotted that. Amusing."

"Isn't it?"

"I'm going to my room to review the battle data, _senpai_."

"Good. Take a rest and don't worry… There's PLENTY of time to train and prepare further strategies."

"Roger."

Nelaus walked out while Yoru Yami snickered and looked up to something yet he quickly regained his composure.

"Don't push it either, Yamato Man. Check on those wounds so that they don't drag you down for the next battle."

"Roger!"

"Twilight – sama? Good news, sir. The preparations are almost completed: the new strategy to inflict chaos within the Net Saviors and will be executed soon enough…" Freeze Man came in and grinned.

"Good! Heh, heh, heh! Glory to the great IQ – sama~! Heh, heh, heh!"

14:48 PM (Arkansas Time)…

"… _Monsieur_ Vadous. It's been a while."

"_Oui_. Dr. Spimer. We're early, both of us."

"Of course. The meeting is scheduled at 15:15 PM."

"Have your projects progressed, Doctor?"

"Yes, they have."

Vadous was speaking with a man inside of a meeting room somewhere which had some armchairs set around a metallic round table: the windows' blinders were opened and they allowed sights into what had the looks of a military complex somewhere.

Today he'd put on blue contacts and sported a black suit, a tie, pants and brown leather shoes.

He was speaking with another man present in the room.

This man looked on his late twenties or early thirties: he could be over a meter and eighty tall too.

His hair was combed in a neat manner and it was colored in an orange-like coloring while his eyes' irises were blue.

He currently wore a suit similar to Vadous' but he'd picked a red bowtie instead.

"My "S" units have been strengthened and their response time has increased along the way too."

"That's good. We could be in need of them."

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

"Ah! General Hawk."

General Hawk could be on his late 50s and his hair was starting to go white although it still could be seen that his natural color was black: their height could be close to a meter and ninety tall.

His eyes' irises were brownish and he was clean shaven: his nose seemed to have a hawk-like profile to it even.

He wore a grayish military uniform including pants and boots plus a small medal which had a black dot on the center of its round body.

"I've been drilling the troops too since we've gotten reports of armed rogue groups stirring up trouble close to the border… But not the Mexican border: the Canadian border…"

"They want to blow up the _cliché_, huh?" Vadous wasn't surprised.

"Indeed."

"Yes! They're asking for trouble."

"Ah! Ms. Argad. Welcome."

"Thank you. Excuse my face: those guys keep on trying to make me look like a gangster of the 20s!"

The newcomer woman appealed to be on her mid-thirties and over a meter and eighty tall.

She had short smooth black hair and her eyes' irises were green in coloring: her face was smooth but it didn't have a very appealing "profile" either.

She wore a white shirt with a reddish tie and a black knee-long skirts plus stockings and black heeled shoes.

She carried an open brown leather jacket over her shoulders too.

"Ach so! Frau Argad. You are not the only one suffering from this. They tried to shun the memory of my father by saying that he had had deals with… _them_… before the war! And he didn't! He wasn't a businessman yet: he merely owned a small store which only sold mere spare bicycle tires! _Dreck! Verdammt_! Those savages! Those barbarians! They will regret it, by damnation!"

A new man joined them: looked on his late fifties or early sixties and roughly one meter and eighty centimeters tall if not a bit taller.

He had grey hair along with an equally gray moustache while his eyes' irises were brown.

He wore a black tuxedo, pants and brown leather shoes.

"What! Ah! What savages, Kount Serbauf!" Vadous hissed.

"My point exactly, Herr Vadous!"

"Should we pick seats?" Dr. Spimer offered.

They picked their seats: there were a total of seven and they were set in two rows of three looking north at the main seat which Dr. Spimer occupied: Vadous sat directly to his right, Argad two left of Dr. Spimer, Hawk immediately left and Serbauf on the third left row seat.

"_Oui!_ We heard it, _madame_ and _monsieurs_. _Mon dieu_!"

A sixth member stepped in: he was on mid-forties and appealed as being over a meter and eighty tall maybe closer to a seventy.

His hair was colored in a bright blonde color and so was the beard which covered his face: his eyes' irises were blue.

He wore a black suit over a white shirt, a green and blue stripped tie, pants and brown shoes.

"Le Count de Rivalou. Welcome."

"_Merci_, Dr. Spimer."

Rivalou picked the third row seat and steps came in signaling the arrival of the 7th member.

"Ah! I am in time?"

"Yes. It's but 15:02 PM and the meeting will begin in 13 minutes from now, Mr. Rickhem."

"Thank you."

Rickhem, the last of them, looked on his forties and about a meter and eighty tall.

His hair was colored black and his eyes' irises were brown: he was clean shaven but some small dots of facial hair were left on his face although they were hard to spot.

He simply wore a white shirt, a blackish tie, and black pants.

"Good. I have news." Hawk began once Rickhem had picked his seat right of Vadous.

"What would those be?" Dr. Spimer politely asked.

"I've got a friend who is an Antarctic researcher. A few days ago, on Friday, he'd gone to monitor if more meteors had fallen close to an abandoned Indian outpost shut down in the late 50s named Gondwana… There he was witness to something: the hanger opened and a stealth jet plane came out of it… The snowstorm limited visibility so he couldn't discern much from it… The plane took off despite the snowstorm and the hanger sealed up on its own. He tried to find a way in but there were none: the older buildings were untouched and totally frozen over. He returned to his outpost, the British outpost, on the snow-tractor… And there he got told they'd felt the shockwave of an object overcoming Mach 1 over the ocean but not too high and not too far from the coast…"

"Antarctica… A mysterious hanger, a stealth plane capable of overcoming Mach 1…!" Vadous looked suspicious.

"And even if some witness spotted it by coincidence they'd thought it was some Air Force prototype test flight…" Dr. Spimer muttered.

"Could this be related to the… Eh… To the villain…?" Argad had almost said some insult but rectified.

"It could be. It can't be discarded. Maybe he's trying to recreate a Harrier 2 to begin with… He'd be going for another rip-off…" Hawk admitted.

"Let's hope he doesn't force us to explore the abandoned Shadow Moses island base next… Yet… If he hasn't bothered to attempt to retrieve the RAY we confiscated a year ago it's because he must've materialized the MGS4 model… The jerk is starting to try to stain our names too: we must be careful of possible attacks to your business' employees too."

"Ah! The damned rascal. Huh! I apologize." Rickhem snarled.

"Don't mind it, _Monsieur_ Rickehm. They're wearing us out and it's barely been 17 days since they escaped the prison…"

"I know. Well. If you'd allow me… I'll try to investigate the Antarctica end of things… Maybe there's some clue there…"

"Ah yes. The track seemed to have an anti-freezing system which worked by absorbing environmental EM and the hanger building seems to have some device which can produce a landing beacon if something approaches the track in a straight ahead manner: it got picked by my friend's PET software as well…"

"Interesting. This requires immediate investigation… And in the meanwhile… If they want to play dirty then we'll play dirty too and reveal what Green Tiger had almost done and bring up crime records for those guys… "Octopus – han" enjoys some whisperings and rumors plus reputation of leaking official material so…"

"Good. Let their own antiques shoot back at them." Argad looked in a slightly better mood by now.

"My computer experts could help too." Dr. Spimer offered.

"Thank you very much. I am sorry if I leave on a rush but the sooner I get a hold of what was being brewed up there then the better…"

"Point taken. Be careful, Herr Vadous." Serbauf told him.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I will report in less than 24 hours with a preliminary document to be expanded on the days to come."

"_Good luck_." Hawk encouraged.

Vadous ran off while the other members remained silent: Dr. Spimer rubbed his chin and then grinned.

"You know what, ladies and gentlemen? Vincent Red just invented the "giver of giving presents" and has patented it."

The group inwardly laughed at the joke and Dr. Spimer chuckled…


	19. Chapter 19: A de masu morning

**Chapter 19: A de masu morning**

07:09 AM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 2nd…

"… De masu! Welcome to the "A De Masu Morning"! Masu!"

"Yamitarou… What's that about? Open the store already. But you're very early: Shuuko isn't coming until 9 AM."

"My newest home-made show…! De masu!"

"Is that so? I'm expecting results, Yamitarou."

"Expect them with Expectation Glasses! De masu!"

"W-what? Expectation… Glasses? Grah! Randomness! I hate it with a passion! Any Navi does!"

"I'd rather object."

Higure had opened his store and begun speaking aloud: Number Man frowned as Higure grinned and when he came up with some randomness Number Man groaned and clutched his head.

"Shadow Man." He grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh. Calling on Shadow Man…"

"Ah… I have a hunch, de masu… I'll bring some lilies of the valley to Mariko – sensei and this time around there won't be any bowling involved… De masu… Mariko – sensei~… De masu~… Let the flowers speak…"

"Don't day-dream, Yamitarou."

"I was thinking the other day to offer her some Higure Yamitarou Sauce for the _sushi_ but my receipt was flawed… De masu…"

"Hi-Higure Yamitarou… Sauce? Oh come on!"

"Some stinking catastrophes are about to come, the herald said."

"What the heck do you mean?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Watch on, oh wise man on thin legs."

"HEY!"

"So! I was told Mariko – sensei was waiting for me here and…!"

"De masu!"

"Higure Yamitarou!"

"Commander Beef!"

"Oh! Not again!

"I knew it was too good to be true…"

"Heh, heh, heh. The Conflict Age has begun."

Commander Beef had walked into the store in his flashy manner while grinning before he gasped and so did Higure: they leant their hands on the counter and began to stare at each other.

"Che! What have you done to Mariko – sensei while I've been overseas, huh, Higure Yamitarou?"

"It's none of your rotting business! De masu!"

"OH YEAH?"

"OH YES! DE MASU~!"

"T-this _otaku…_!"

"T-this super-hero wannabe…!"

"What!"

"What, de masu!"

"Shadow Man… You've overdone it, I think." Dark Miyabi sighed over his line.

"Don't worry… They'll just stare at each other… And promote their very cultured mottoes as well… The Mottoes War, I'd name it, see…."

"Shadow Man… Why do you always bring trouble wherever you appear at, anyway?" Shark Man sighed.

"Conflict brings profits with it: such is the _Sengoku_!"

"_Sengoku_ is a modern historians' name for that period where _samurai_ where notorious and so on!" Number Man argued back.

"Too bad."

"And _ninja_ are supposed to be sneaky and don't get involved in battles to begin with. Only _samurai_ and _ronin_ were involved…"

"Then Special Summon _Samurai Man_ by using the Magic Card "Raise Dead", you see…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"This guy…!" Shark Man sighed.

"I know!" Number Man fumed.

"I'm a shinning man! De masu! Go win the N1 Grand Prix 2008 Edition this October! De masu!"

"Oh come on! You've made that up on the spot!"

"Emergency, Command Beef!"

Saloma, Wood Man's Operator, ran in all of a sudden and looked like she'd come in a rush from somewhere.

"Oh! My turn to shine came! Who needs help?"

"Some neighbors…"

"Did they lose a cat or a pet?"

"No! The ground floor store is emitting an unbearable stench and they want someone to check it out! The address is 45, Andana Road… Hurry over there!" She explained to him.

"45, Andana Road…? A~H! My store! My store! The tuna! They brought low-quality tuna! It's a ploy to boycott me! I'll let them know that they messed with THE Commander Beef! Let's go, Shark Man!"

"Yeah, yeah… Just let's get outta here…"

"Go tuna and mackerel and eel." Shadow Man made up a joke.

"Sure, sure."

Commander Beef ran out and Saloma sighed in relief: Higure grinned and rubbed his hands in excitement.

"The good luck spirits orbit around Higure Yamitarou! De masu."

"No. I just predicted there'd be trouble."

"And _you _are it." Wood Man drily told Shadow Man.

"Then they should've named me Herald Of Trouble Man."

"That's… impossibly long!" Number Man groaned.

"And that of the store was a little setup of my own but when it comes to stopping a fight then all's fair."

"Ah! Wood Man. Trouble, trouble."

"Skull Man? What trouble?"

Skull Man ran into the system while looking like he'd come in a rush as well: Wood Man was surprised.

"Commander Beef's bike got the front tire punctured and he lost control of it so he ended up inside of the store and covered in tuna. Now he says he's Tuna Man and that he's going to bring order to Akihara Town."

"Is that for real?" Saloma slapped her forehead.

"I'm afraid so." Miyuki admitted.

"De masu… Someone shower him with cold water."

"Good idea. Let's bring him to the harbor and splash him with some sea-water to see if he thinks he has to go fish for tuna."

"I'll try to knock him out."

"I'm counting on you."

"Roger."

"Hum! It'd seem I do herald the descent of trouble's incarnation."

"But you can't materialize so you didn't do that and your Operator hates those pranks… Maybe it was but mere coincidence?" Wood Man looked suspicious.

"Bring Bat-man in and let him settle it."

"Oh come on!" Skull Man fumed.

"This guy…!"

"What a "de masu" morning! De masu!" Higure grinned and looked up to something.

"Yamitarou. You don't shine – at all." Number Man flatly sentenced with a sight.

"DE MASU~!"

CRASH!

"Hum. He collapsed behind the counter. Well. He'll wake up soon enough: I'm off to try to help Miyuki – san. Good morning."

"I'm watching you." Wood Man warned.

"You sure are, Wooden God."

"I'm fed up with this randomness: go compete with that Sigma guy wherever they are at! Don't come again! You get me?" Number Man scolded Shadow Man.

"Delighted."

He vanished with a cloud of smoke and both sighed in relief: Wood Man returned to his PET and Skull Man ran out so Number Man merely headed for the briefcases and began to set them in order.

"Phew! About time…"

"Mariko – sensei~… Sky-high date, de masu~…"

"Yamitarou. You moron. Do something useful instead of playing victim."

"Ah… The stars, de masu… A starry date~… De masu~…"

08:53 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Good morning, Commander Alamantz."

"Ah. Charles, Davis… Good morning."

"You requested a meeting, right?"

"Yes, I did."

Charles and Davis stepped into a small meeting room somewhere which had a round wooden table on the center of it with ten seats surrounding it: two glass doors signaled the only entry and exit.

A man was sitting on the left of the northern chair.

He could be on his mid – 50s, and could be about two meters tall too.

He had Indian traits such as the face profile and the teal skin.

His face was covered in abundant black beard plus a slightly refined moustache while the black hair reached until the end of the neck: the eyes' irises were brown.

He wore boots, brown trousers and a pale brown vest.

"I'd want to update everyone on the last month's happenings: since everyone have been working in different assignments then…"

"Good idea."

"_Buenos días_."

"Ah! Lopez. Glad to see ya around. Let's start seating!"

Davis sat right of Alamantz and Charles sat right of him while a new guy came into the room.

He appealed to be on his late 20s.

His hair was blonde and he had some slight beard growing on the chin which seemed to fit him.

He wore a black suit with a blue tie, pants and shoes.

"Truly. It's being some crazy summer."

He picked his seat, two seats left of Charles' position.

"Huff! I made it before Captain Sommerston."

"Senator Daniel Komero: welcome."

"Thank you, Commander."

Daniel Komero was on his early 30s and had a body-builder type of body frame: his height could be a bit shorter than a meter and eighty.

He had messy brown hair and some traces of a rather poorly shaven beard and moustache: his eyes' irises were brown too.

As clothing he sported a brown open vest over a white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

He sat three seats right of Charles' own seat.

"My, my. So DK beats us to it. Ironic!"

"Save the irony for later, Captain Fred Sommerston."

"Yikes. R-roger, Commander."

Sommerston was on his late 30s and over a meter and ninety tall: they had a good athletic figure too.

They wore a reddish plastic helmet with the initials "FS" colored golden set on the forehead: the helmet included black shades and round cavities over the ears which had a plastic grid to protect them.

They had a small black moustache growing beneath their nose but no beard: some black hair could be seen coming out from beneath the read edge of the helmet.

They wore a black suit with a tie and brown pants plus shoes.

His seat was three left of Davis.

"By the great Scott! Weapon smuggling has risen in just two weeks! And they're all these new-model ones with the ID lock on them!"

"Senator McIrranay…"

McIrranay was a man on his early or mid 20s.

His hair's color was brown and he had a thick brown beard while his eyes' irises were blue.

One trait on him was a small scar which covered his right cheek.

He wore an open camouflage-color-patterned vest, a khaki shirt and jeans along with shoes.

His seat was placed left of Komero so he was directly in front of Davis across the table.

"Trouble after trouble!"

"Truly, Senator Kaygon."

Kaygon appealed as being on his mid-30s and close in height to Sommerston.

His hair color was black and he had a dense black beard while his eyes' irises were green.

He sported a sleeveless blue overcoat, jeans and shoes.

He sat right next to Sommerston and two left of Komero.

"Good news! We FINALLY did it! The main archive has been digitized and I've been able to install it on a server!"

"Oh! Excellent, Secretary Nokay!"

Nokay could be close to his 20s but maybe he was 18 or 19 years old and closer in age to Davis and Charles.

He had brownish hair which had been cut so that it didn't grow too thick and it was combed with the help of fastener and comb: his eyes' irises were emerald green.

He wore a simple white shirt, a green bowtie, jeans and white sneakers plus a black leather belt.

He had reading glasses on and carried a notebook computer.

He sat down to Alamantz's left and to Sommerston's right.

"_Bene_! Those are some good news."

"Senator Pingole."

Pingole, the last of them, appealed as being on his early 30s and maybe close to a meter and eighty tall.

He had a thick brown moustache but no beard although his eyes' irises were blue.

He wore a sleeveless brown vest over a white shirt, shorts, black socks and white sneakers.

He picked his seat to Charles' right and to Lopez's left.

"Well. So what do we know?" Alamantz asked.

"Vadous said he was going to check something in Antarctica but I dunno anything else… Yet… Those guys have been _too quiet_… I know it hasn't even been 5 days since Swallow Man tried to find that hacker… They must be training or smug Twilight is preparing some new show." Davis made a quick recap.

"_Diablos. Otra vez?_" Lopez grumbled.

"… "Devil. Again?"… Yes, I get the point." Komero sighed.

"I'd like to send them a rotting tuna by post mail." Sommerston sighed.

"Can't say it's bad…" Kaygon shrugged.

"Tuna, huh. I hate it with a passion." McIrranay mumbled.

"And I'm fed up with the guy's antiques too. I've had to shake off 5 abductors in these 2 weeks. But they were so amateur that I know that he just tried to provoke into the "revenge" _cliché_." Nokay fumed.

"I found two fake bombs below my car too." Alamantz admitted.

"The guy tried to fool me by sending me a package with diamonds on it."

"And then called some cops and tried to frame you until you showed them they were but cardboard imitations?" Charles apparently knew the rest of the tale.

"Correct! _Porca miseria_."

"The guy also tried to taunt me with emails full of crap like that my father only saw an experiment and me and crap like that. Of course: I didn't believe any of those because I know my father. Tell that to the father of that Emperor S man: that was a villain." Davis sighed.

"In short: we're stuck." Nokay summarized.

"Totally." Kaygon grumbled.

"By the way… Have we made sure Vincent is still in Mexico and won't be hired to try to impersonate someone we know?" Komero asked.

"If Anaya hates being predictable then she surely won't go for the same trick twice… And Colonel Talos has been keeping an eye on the guy from time to time as well. He's drinking heavily and dialing phone numbers at random to babble total nonsense." Charles replied.

"How the mighty have fallen, huh?" Sommerston commented.

"Damn it. If only we could get a hold on Jade Panther and who they are that could turn up some hint or clue." Kaygon cursed.

"There was nothing on the ID-locked weapons."

"By damnation. Lately these meetings lead nowhere and the only thing we manage to do is to increase our bad mood." Alamantz cursed.

"I know: we should try to dig out something. At least we know Jade isn't a fucker from the underground so… Maybe some corporation or such which was known to have links… And we should try to check on Gauss Magnets: he might know something given his own actions in the past as member of "Gospel"..." Davis suggested a course of action.

"We're going to find and corner those jerks! Justice!" Charles rallied.

"Justice! Let there be justice! The Justice Council is on the move!"


	20. Chapter 20: Green  eyed girl

**Chapter 20: Green – eyed girl**

10:07 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 5th…

"… And I agree with Charles… These guys have been _TOO _quiet."

"Save for some little ruckuses overseas, yeah…"

"Che. Now I feel empty."

"Join the club, Sigma."

"… Excuse me."

Netto and Saito were walking down a street somewhere: Sigma (projecting out of Netto's PET) was fuming while Blood Shadow (projecting from Saito's PET) was calm: a voice called out to them.

"Huh? Eh… How can we help you?"

"Can you tell me how to get to the Science Labs?"

The person who'd called out of them was a girl about 14 or 15 years old who didn't seem to be much older than either Netto or Saito.

Her height could be approximately the same as theirs.

Her eyes' irises were colored green and abundant brown hair fell down across her back until it reached the waist: two largely white flowers adorned the sides of her head.

She wore a one-piece dress consisting on a white skirt reaching until the knees, more or less, while the dress itself was pink in color: she sported black knee-high boots as footing.

She also carried a grayish PET on her right hand which she'd flipped to make the screen aim for the ground.

"Oh yeah. Bus 33 leaves you close by… The stand is about 300 meters NW of this spot…" Netto instructed.

"They usually come ever 10-15 minutes…" Saito added.

"Thank you… Oh!"

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

"… No. Thank you."

She turned around but both Sigma and Blood Shadow seemed to frown and looked surprised at something: the girl had momentarily gasped when seeing their holograms as well but she formed a weak smile and headed past them towards the bus stand.

"… Say, Blood… Don't you get a feeling like we've met that little girl somewhere before…?" Sigma whispered to him.

"Funny that you mention it… I've got the same feeling too…"

"Really?"

"Could've it been overseas?" Saito suggested.

"Hmmm… I get that feeling too…"

"Give us a while to check it out: maybe we need to access the backup memory files server in the HQ…"

"Beef!"

"Whoa! Commander Beef!"

"Beef & Tuna: my new name!"

"Beef & Tuna?"

Commander Beef suddenly showed up while carrying a tuna on his right hand and grinning: the four of them frowned.

"I'm going to give this as present to Mariko – sensei… Oh! She got fashionable, I can see that. Mariko – sensei!"

"Huh? What?"

"It's been a while! Do you remember me, ma'am?"

"Huh… No."

"E~H? B-but! Mariko – sensei!"

"Ah! You're mistaking me for neesan. I'm Yuriko: her lil sis."

"OH! I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No wonder. I was overseas too back then."

Commander Beef had actually mistaken Yuriko for Mariko: she frowned at first and her replies caused him to panic before Yuriko corrected him and he sighed in relief.

"Aren't those shades TOO thick?" Shark Man sighed.

"Well…" He trailed off.

"Guess that's "yeah"…" Needle Man looked slightly surprised.

"And you were actually trying to offer that to neesan?"

"It's the fashion, ma'am!"

"Fashion…? I feel skeptical." She did look skeptical.

"Is that so? Then what would be appropriate? Sushi?"

"Huff. Dunno. I only meet with her once a week and she cooks a lot of things but I don't remember neesan being a fan of _sushi_… Maybe some rice cookies or…" She trailed off.

"No way! Fish has calcium! Calcium is good! Calcium rules!"

"Discuss that with a nutritionist, will you?" She challenged with some annoyance on her voice.

"They're out-dated! Calcium, I say! Calcium! My fish stand for calcium! Oh my calcium and my tuna!" He made a silly pose as if trying to imitate a drama character.

"You fall short of trying to imitate Richard III Lion-heart…"

"What! Is that so? Then…! To tuna! And not to tuna!"

"What's that? A _Hamlet_ parody you've come up with?"

"Parody? No! It's an upgrade! Hamlet: Upgraded! By Commander Beef!"

"Post that on some blog and see what people think."

"It's a challenge, ma'am?" He gasped.

"It is! Now go: Ms. Tuna needs you to rescue them from Mr. Anonymous and the Beef-Signal has been turned on!"

"By all the… Tuna & Beef! Let's go~!"

"JEEZ! This guy! Really!"

"Man. That guy was weird."

"Yuriko. Been a while. Ever since the "Zoan" Punk deal…"

"Oh yeah. I've been working a lot to try to dig up hints but I only ended up stumbling upon "Penguin" from the _Bat-man_ comics. Which was a pretty mocking thing…" She sighed.

"Che. And Cloud Man's hologram was there to taunt me and say I was always "incomplete"…" Needle Man rolled his eyes.

"Hum. So they're up to something… Boss looked troubled a few days ago but it'd seem he's only talked about it with Commander Omega: it'd seem they want to try to find something or check on something…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"He looked nervous: but the only thing we got out is that he'd discovered something somewhere… He's been rather closed and Dr. Lartes is starting to grow worried too." Sigma sighed.

"No wonder…" Saito rolled his eyes.

"Besides that… The guy also tried to fool me into a trap by making me believe he'd abducted neesan but I instead found five or six _bad girls_ who needed a lesson." Yuriko let out with a sight.

"Sounds like trouble…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"Shah, shah, shah! It _was_ trouble. With Capital T."

"Man. Today I don't feel in the mood for jokes either. The jerk's good at making everyone feel moody and with low spirits. I hate to admit it."

"Who wouldn't, anyway?"

"Guess we'll be on our way to the playground… See ya."

"Oh yes. Let's meet again."

"Huh… Well. See ya." Sigma distractedly muttered.

"Huh? Ah… Yeah… Bye." Blood Shadow looked like he'd snapped out of thinking something.

"Good-bye."

"Bye… Let's go, Needle Man."

"Huh… See ya, yeah… Man."

The twins made their way to the playground: Netto sat on the bench while sighing and Saito on one of the swings: both looked down and like their spirits had burned out.

"I'd never felt like this before… Not even 3 years ago when Shirakami took over your Navi body and you had to co-exist in my mind as a split personality… Damn it! The jerk creates this atmosphere in purpose to make us lose incentive and energies to battle."

"I know, Netto – kun… And it'd seem it's even gotten into Vadous – san and Davis… Heck. And heck." Saito sighed as well.

"Sigma… Try quoting Dragon – san's newest banner."

"Sadly… The jerk got to him and had him print something to set us on that mood to begin with… It's not worth quoting."

"Shit. They're hitting us from all fronts? At least Internet City is back to its normal shape but… I miss a good battle. I'd want to be able to make a change… Heck. Even Beast Man would do fine."

"No wonder… Maybe the jerk aims to rust us as well…"

"Fuck. I can't stand sitting here and doing NOTHING. I hate it!"

"I also hate it, Netto – kun… We need to think of something…"

11:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Wow! So this is "Internet City"? It's cool!"

"Hum. So it was true… The Cyber World here had a better development than ours… Since there was no war…"

"Say, neechan!"

"What's up? Trill?"

"Do you think we'll meet them?"

"Them…? Oh. Well… Maybe. But it's a very wide city… And we don't know if they still live here either…"

_Heh, heh, heh. We finally got permission to come to Internet City today and the place's cool, really… And Twilight – sama was right: there are so many Navis, just another one doesn't raise the attention… But those two over there… They pick me for some reason or another... I'll take imagery of them and then check it with Twilight – sama… Maybe he knows something about them or will be able to tell me if I'm overreacting… _

Isaac was looking at two Navis walking down an avenue in Internet City and chatting amongst them from his position about 8 meters behind them and hid by one or two pedestrians.

_Number one…_

One of them was a child Net Navi.

This Net Navi wore a yellow and white bodysuit and his emblem was blank: he had two pockets on both sides of the suit.

Two curious cone-shaped forms emerged from his helmet. He had two small spheres attached to the tips of them.

His face looked like that of 5 or 6 – years old child and he had green emerald irises.

_Child-model Net Navis are nothing new, yeah, but… I feel something. And the other…_

The other was a girl Navi about Isaac's height.

Her helmet had some strange-shaped lines colored yellow in top of it.

A partial mask covered her eyes, although it could be seen that their irises were colored brown.

She wore a blue sea coat and her legs were colored blue: she had some four pink buttons on the coat.

The only emblem she had was on the ear pads and it looked like the shape of a hand colored yellow.

She was currently walking right of the child Navi and holding his right hand as they walked down together and chatted.

"Yo. Admiral. Enjoyin' the shake-down tour?" Nelaus joked through a sound-only radio band.

"Sure thin', my lad." He joked back.

"Heh, heh, heh. Anyway… Found anything interesting?"

"I think so… Tell ya later… I'm teasing ya~…"

"Oho. I like how that sounds. It's been a week since I got transferred here and I've learnt a lot already… Yesterday we barely won over Yamato Man using his full power… And today we barely made it past Swallow Man: the other two are gonna be though…"

"But there's always the challenge of seeing what they learnt from their battles and how we'll work it around next time around."

"You've got a point, yeah."

"And don't worry: I've encrypted this link so that only you and I can hear to the exchanges… Heh, heh, heh."

"By the way! Did you check out the Battle Chip Store Cloud Man talked about the other day around?"

"Good idea. I could check it out. Just another customer… Buying the usual stuff… Not like he'd need to take any particular attention to me…"

"Heh, heh, heh. I just triggered thrill mode, didn't I?"

"Ya sure did, _pal_. Anyway…"

He calmly accelerated his pacing and carefully placed a small sticker on the girl Navi's right leg from behind and above the knee without her or the small Navi noticing: he walked past them and turned into a side-street where he started up a holographic screen which displayed a map with a moving red spot.

"The tracer Cosmo Man lent us works well."

"Good. Those two could be interesting to check out later on." Nelaus sounded amused.

Isaac calmly made his way to Higureya where he found Number Man looking up something using a holographic screen but he shoved it asides to focus.

"Welcome to Higureya! We can offer you're a variety of Battle Chips."

"And Rare Chips too! De masu!" Higure's voice added.

"That was unnecessary." Number Man muttered.

"Tank Cannon: have you got 'em, _Boss_?"

"Of course. How many would you want, Mr. Customer?

"Three would do fine." Isaac decided with a shrug.

"Three."

"Three of tree and trees! DE MASU~!" Higure made up another silly rhyme on the spot.

"Super Man is about to rescue _sensei_ before you, Yamitarou."

"WHA~T? DE MASU~! Shuuko – chan: watch the store! De masu! I'm going to rescue _sensei_ and prove I'm a shining man! SENSEI~!"

"Huh… Take care." Shuuko timidly muttered.

"Pyrururu! This customer's got a cool look! Pyu! Heh, heh, heh!"

Aqua Man jumped atop the counter and giggled as he began to make some dance: Number Man fumed, left the Battle Chips there, and lowered him behind the counter.

"Finish up with the lower shelf Chips!"

"Pyurururu~…"

"Sorry for the mess: this town gets mad with the summer heat."

"Wow. Eh… Well. How much…?"

"6600Z…"

"Roger."

Isaac dispatched the Cybernetic Money and Number Man checked it before he handed the Battle Chips to him.

"Have a good morning."

"NUMBER MA~N! DE MASU~! SENSEI DIDN'T NEED SAVING! YOU TRICKED ME, DE MASU~!"

"All's fair to make you behave properly, Yamitarou."

"DE MASU~! Showdown!"

"And how do we have a showdown to begin with?"

"Materialize just like Bomber Man! De masu!"

"Normal Net Navis' data can't materialize inside of a "Dimensional Area", Yamitarou. You need some "Materialization Factors" to make it work and those aren't something you can just go and buy. They're very rare and I guess the Science Labs keeps them under custody."

"No way! De masu! The world is cruel to me, de masu!"

"Play victim all you want. It's in vain."

"I wish fortune, de masu!"

"Ask Gauss Magnets to provide some in his Robin Hood style, then."

"Huh… Well… I'll be goin'… Mornin'…"

"Good morning. And now, Yamitarou, we need to TALK."

Isaac came out of the store while seemingly dumbfounded: Nelaus was quiet but it was obvious that the whole scene had surprised him.

"Now talk about a queer guy…" Nelaus muttered.

"Yeah. It'd seem that Number Man guy is closer to the ground than that Higure Yamitarou guy is. And they say heat's bad for you so I'm not surprised the summer heat is affecting them."

"Anyway… Come back 'ere and we'll go for another round in 2 hours' time since it's just close to 16:45 PM here so…"

"Roger."

Isaac simply headed away and stepped into a building through a side-door: there he stepped into a Warp Point which got deleted behind him and he reformed into another inside of a Cyber World having the initials "DP" colored jade and set on the forehead of a black panther with red eyes as background logo.

"Heh. DP… Sounds like _Diamond & Pearl_, two of the "Admin" guys working here… And that mass amount of fake leads and all were worth it because we ended up bringing confusion to them…"

"Mr. Opoulos is a genius, after all."

"Heh, heh, heh. Of course… Taking into account his brilliant career and how far he's been able to come by his intelligence…"

"Well. Do as you like. I'm off to the balcony to enjoy some sun: the sun-bathing thing feels good, really."

"Roger, Sun-Bathing Man."

"Oi. That was way too long… And too literal!"

"Too bad, Ne – chan! I feel inspired today. Guess the heat's to blame too."

"That sounded so silly… Whatever. I'm off to have fun. Heh, heh, heh…"


	21. Chapter 21: Synchronizer

**Chapter 21: Synchronizer**

17:17 PM (Honolulu Time), Friday July the 4th…

"… So! Isaac. You wanted to show me something?"

"Sorry to bother you: it could be nothing but…"

"Just tell me."

"Alright, Twilight – sama…"

Isaac had been looking up battle footage of him against Swallow Man when Yoru Yami opened his communications window: Isaac looked slightly troubled as if he was bothering him but the guy didn't mind it.

"I went to Internet City…"

"Higure Yamitarou's craziness dumbfounded you?" He tried to guess with a grin.

"W-well… Yeah. But…" He admitted.

"You say Sigma joking with Shadow Man?" He guessed next.

"Please let me explain it, Twilight – sama!"

"Alright."

"I spotted two Navis which picked me for some reason or another and I took a photo… Maybe it's worth looking up who programmed them or to see if they hold any special abilities we could try to imitate or use to alter a battle's outcome…" Isaac exposed.

"Oh? Show them to me."

"Here they are, sir."

"By all the… That little girl… That brat…!" He gasped and leant forward.

"Heh! Your ex-girlfriend and her kid…? Twilight?" A voice rang out.

"WHAT? My lady!"

"Hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Oh! That face! Priceless! Truly!"

"My lady!"

Anaya had come up with a lame joke on the spot as she came into the room and burst into laughter while Yoru Yami looked scandalized and annoyed while at the same time trying to keep a firm pose which wasn't all-too-convincing to begin with.

"Kidding! I felt like it, bad boy." She told him with a grin.

"My lady!" He protested with some annoyance.

"Heh! _Imagine~! A blushing fella~_!"

"Not another "Imagine" parody… Anaya – san!" Izono groaned as he came in and looked fed up with the deal.

"Marco! Go find Marco Polo's grave, will ya~?"

"That joke is AGES OLD. Ma'am!" He protested.

"Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Ahem, ahem!" Yoru Yami cleared his throat but the blush did not leave his face or the annoyance.

"Priceless!"

"My lady!" Both guys protested.

"So? What's the deal? Isaac found a girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend's kid, ya mean to say~?" She giggled.

"No, Anaya – sama!" Isaac politely protested.

"Oh! I get it! You found Madonna's friend's Navi taking their digitized kid away to Kenya!"

"That WASN'T fun." Izono grumbled.

"When it comes to conspiracy theories and rumors…"

"Jeez. Now I'd like for those "Patriots" guys to really control info flowing out there: they were right in saying it's a sea of garbage! It takes a lot of effort to find something which isn't trash or a lie!" Izono grumbled.

"Tee, heh, heh!"

"Ahem, ahem!"

"Ahem Meha Man came~!"

"OH PLEASE!" Yoru Yami was at the edge of his patience by now.

"Tee, heh, heh. So, bad boys… What's the pink tale?"

"No pink tale, my lady! Visitors… From "Beyondard"!"

"What!" She gasped.

"It was some kind of… parallel world, right?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah. That whole show with the "Zoanoroids" and the "Cybeasts" was a small-scale recreation of what happened there."

"So… Who are they?

"I don't remember too much the little girl: I was in Western Europe playing "Shadow Schemer" and always got the info second-handedly after sending Navis to scout the Cyber Worlds for sensor data. I couldn't do any monitoring after they were sucked up into that world either and I had to content myself with copying their memory files and playback them to learn what had happened… But that girl is the defender of the little kid which is the interesting guy around here…"

"Why's that?" Anaya asked.

"The "Synchronizer"…!"

"What! The "Synchronizer"…! Didn't you say it was a tool of immense power which was the key to ending the war in "Beyondard" because it had the ability to erase "Bestialize Factor"…? That little kid IS the "Synchronizer", you say?"

"Correct. There's no doubt anymore. It was designed in that shape to draw attention away since most people would think it was a weapon or something far more impressive than this."

"Wow." Isaac whistled.

"And how would they get here?"

"Some "Fossa Ambience" must remain somewhere or maybe one has opened recently…" He rubbed his chin.

"Interesting!"

"Isn't it?"

"I've got an idea."

"What would that be?"

"Catch them: and use the "Synchronizer" power to boost Isaac."

"Hmmm… If I could work out the ability to "tame" the "Bestialize" ability when exposed to the "Beyondard" atmosphere back when it had the "Bestialize Factor"… Then it could be useful to allow Isaac to power up and overwhelm his adversaries… I'd need some time to go over the data I got from "Alternate" Rock Man: they did split the carved power into two Chips to be called out anytime… And without consequences… I could try to recreate that as well…"

"Wow." Isaac whistled again.

"Cool." Nelaus' voice rang out through his radio band.

"Oh yeah. You brought the PET with you to the balcony, right?"

"Sure. But, really… Boss. Those jokes were lame. No offense." Nelaus told Anaya with a sigh.

"My bad." She shrugged.

"No good." Izono grimly muttered.

"What… Not like I'm gonna slaughter anyone!"

"Your jokes are enough to drive anyone mad and there I thought Dragon Hell's banners were weird enough."

"Those are fun too!"

"They aren't intended to be fun."

"Dryness Man shows up!"

"That joke is too old."

"Well… I'll talk it with Mr. Opoulos… I've remembered about that Navi's Operator and such we could physically catch them along with the "Synchronizer" and hold them as hostages… Their knowledge could prove to be useful…" Yoru Yami cleared his throat.

"Good. Go shake a rumble."

"Excuse me?"

"Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh! Never mind it, Twilight, bad boy."

"… Roger." He looked like he was starting to get annoyed again.

He walked out of the room and both guys sighed while rolling their eyes: Anaya giggled and headed off-room.

"So! Aiming to catch a model, Nelaus?"

"No, Boss. I have no interest on that. I just want to experience things."

"Experience an experience sponsored by Experience Man."

"… Jeez." Nelaus grumbled.

"Tee, heh, heh... Maybe what you actually need is some looks like those of Daniel Craig… Tee, heh, heh..."

"I dunno who Daniel Craig is but I don't think I need to imitate him to begin with, Boss."

"I'm a genius! Did ya know it?"

"Nobody ever denied that, Boss."

"Crafty guys… Well! I'm off to playing _MGS4_ and digging out secrets there and there~… Secret Girl will come and expose them to the light!"

"Secret Girl… How original!" Izono grumbled.

"Anaya – sama and her weird jokes…! They drive you MAD."

13:03 PM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 5th…

"… Guys! Guys! You there?"

"We finally found it out!"

"Whoa! What's with the excitement?"

"Did you figure something out?

Netto and Saito had been playing a game on their house's living room which happened to be _Pokémon Battle Revolution_: Sigma and Blood Shadow showed up on their PETs so they stopped the game.

"The girl we met earlier…! Her name is Iris." Blood Shadow began.

"And they come from "Beyondard"!"

"WHAT?" They both gasped.

"Yeah! We met her back when we explored "Beyondard" 3 years ago and put an end to the "Cybeast War"!"

"Wow! Tell us more!" Netto was thrilled.

"Well… To begin with, they were the guardian of the "Synchronizer" over at the "Dimensional Area Lab" from where all began… They were the only person living there apart from the "Synchronizer"…"

"And "Beyondard" Grandpa's electronic brain as well, right?" Saito seemingly remembered.

"Yeah. He told us about the true purpose of the "Synchronizer" and how to put an end to the war… Kuroshiro told you guys about it last summer."

"So… Why would she be here?"

"Well… Dunno. Maybe she found a "Fossa Ambience" and since they've already completed their duty they thought they could explore new horizons or try to find us… I'm sure she must've recognized something in us: it's not easy to forget guys like us!"

"You've got a point there." Blood Shadow admitted.

"So! You think she brought the "Synchronizer" along?"

"Of course. They were like bro and sis."

"_How_ did you figure out about "Beyondard", anyway?" Netto asked.

"Pure dumb luck… It was back in April, 2005… We were trying to get a hold on Forte's location and we tried a closed off military base from which odd energy spikes had been detected…"

"And those were a "Fossa Ambience"? What exactly was it about to begin with, anyway?" Saito guessed before asking.

"Huff. Explain it yourself, Blood. I'm not good at those."

"Fine. The "Fossa Ambience" was a crack in Time-Space… A connecting tear between two dimensions of Time-Space… We approached it and were treated to a vision of a spot somewhere… We were shocked to see the whole of the skies filled with huge circuitry patterns and "Juuka Viruses" chasing each other in the real world… Boss ran some analysis… I should note that the crack was in real space to begin with but another had opened in the Cyber World… We dared to explore it… And we soon had to use our abilities to escape a stampede of Juuka Viruses…"

"Huff! That wasn't easy."

"Yikes."

"And then we began to analyze and figure out what was going on there by analyzing the atmosphere… And we ended up fighting "Zoan" Napalm Man and "Zoan" Freeze Man…"

"Whoa! A "Zoan" Freeze Man!"

"The "Zoan" Napalm Man was of the Greiga Army and had managed to "Bestialize" but "Zoan" Freeze Man of the Falzer Army without any need to "Bestialize" held the upper hand… He destroyed the opponent and we then had to beat the guy out of self-defense…" Sigma detailed.

"So that was your first contact with the "Zoanoroids"?" Netto deduced.

"Sure… It spooked us, really… Their talk about the Armies picked us…"

"And how did you know to go to the "DA Lab"?"

"Handle that, Blood."

"OK, Sigma. We encountered a town which had been abandoned time ago and which the desert had left in total decadence… We salvaged some old computers and managed to find some old data which was news broadcasting about some "great change" happening as a possible result of a failed experiment in the "DA Lab"… Talks about an aurora-like phenomenon spreading across the world too… And rumored sightings of materialized Viruses: that had to be the first few hours or days after the "accident"…" Blood Shadow narrated.

"And you decided that investigating the place might wield some answers as to what had happened to this world…"

"We even stumbled upon a resistance group which looked like desert nomads but had advanced weapons against Viruses and they had their Navis to fight "Zoanoroids" back… But the design of the "Juuka Inshi" or "Bestialize Factor" was such that they could only materialize for 10 minutes because their HP fell very quickly… And then they needed to recharge for at least 3 hours…" Sigma detailed.

"Oriol talked about that, yeah…" Saito recalled.

"On our way there we did find "Zoan" Stone Man and "Zoan" Cut Man which we beat as well… They were looking for the "Synchronizer" and they claimed that whoever gained it first would achieve total victory and the annihilation of their hatred enemy…"

"They thought it was a weapon?"

"It could be turned into a weapon if misused… Their own ability to absorb "Juuka Inshi" could be used to generate antibodies which they could infect the enemy with and delete their whole data…"

"Yikes. Luckily you found it first."

"Yeah… We got to the lab and we met Iris who immediately guessed we weren't "Zoanoroids" because Boss was there and the sensors told her."

"And "Beyondard" Grandpa told you the whole tale, right?"

"Yeah. You know it already… He told us to bring the "Synchronizer" to the "Wily Lab" and there we would figure out how to end the war. Iris asked of us to give them a name too so Boss picked "Trill"… And he liked it so he attached that name…" Sigma grinned.

"Trill, huh… It sounds like a nice name." Saito seemed to like the sound it carried.

"Maybe we should show you a photo instead."

He showed them a photo of Trill as he looked a bit shorter in height and a bit younger as well standing next to a large glass-made body in a room somewhere.

"So that's Trill AKA "Synchronizer"…" Both muttered.

"Well! We made our way to the "Wily Lab" using our robot bodies' abilities while Boss used a vehicle the lab still had and which was able to make the route… We took profit of some freight train lines those guys had taken control of but which were abandoned… We managed to reach in less than 12 hours despite the 200km distance… And there we stumbled upon old Wily's hologram… Taunting us and trying to have his Viruses defeat us… Commander Omega inputted a program into the lab which cut the electronic brain off from the other systems… And then we used the "Dimensional Generator" there along with the "DA Lab" one to shoot out antibodies in a "synchronized" manner hence the name "Synchronizer" because both of them had to be properly "synchronized" and that was how it had happened at the beginning…" Sigma excitedly described while looking cocky.

"And thus the war ended…" Netto muttered.

"At last…"

"Yeah. It really did. The "Cybeasts" were slowly erased until nothing remained of them and the same happened with all data infected with the "Juuka Inshi"… Old Wily tried to blow us up with the lab but failed and only blew himself up so… No trouble over there." Blood Shadow finished.

"Cool. And the reason she wanted to see the Science Labs could be related to see how much technology had progressed here along with the Cyber World?" Netto deduced.

"That's what we think, yeah."

"Then maybe we'll meet her again and we can try talking with her this time around…"

"Possibly."

"By the way… The mood in the HQ hasn't changed?" Netto switched topics around.

"No. Boss went away with Commander Omega so we simply accessed the server and left a note for them." Sigma replied.

"It must be something important if both went out." Saito looked surprised at the news.

"There's no doubt about it but maybe they're on a trail they don't believe to be genuine so they're being careful not to stumble too quickly into a blind alley and get laughed at." Blood Shadow offered a possible explanation.

"Or else… Dragon's aunt kidnapped him with some spell!"

"Oh come on. That's silly. I dunno if any of his aunts, if any, are still alive out there or really care for what he does…"

"Well! Netto – kun. Let's settle this match. Both of us are at the last PKMN and none of both has type advantage so we have to resort to another type of attack altogether to win!" Saito rallied.

"Heh, heh, heh! Bring it on, Saito – niisan!"

"Alright! Bloody~ Shadowy~! Let's have some leveled-up games!"

"No. Go play at the VR Simulator and come up with a co-op virtual R2-D2 to bust all enemies. But leave me alone." He sighed.

"Not bad, pal! Heh, heh, heh! Alright! _To be continued! Let's go~_!"


	22. Chapter 22: Trill

**Chapter 22: Trill**

09:08 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 6th…

"… Wow! Today is a sunny day as well!"

"Yes. I know."

"What's the matter, oneechan?"

"… Huh… Nothing…"

_That car has been following me for the last 15 minutes already ever since I came out of the Metro Line station…! Could someone have noticed Trill and know about him? Or maybe they don't know anything and they're criminals who want to abduct me? I won't let Trill fall into anyone's hands and be misused…! If only I could remember the names of those visitors 3 years ago…! I think that the ones I saw yesterday were them…_

Iris was walking down a street while Trill projected with the PET's hologram and looked in a good mood but she didn't seem content: she narrowed her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at a non-descript blue Hyundai car which seemed to be following her but keeping a distance of about 15 meters.

_A car can quickly speed up: someone could be ready to jump out and grab me or maybe they have some other plan ready… Luckily this sidewalk is wide enough for two persons and there are some witnesses: if I were to expel Trill in the touch-pen then the witnesses who'd rush in to try to help would force them to flee, being gripped by panic… And they'd likely not notice the absence of the touch-pen until later on… That side-alley looks like it isn't visited often… And if Trill emits signals via sound waves someone can find him… I hope it's someone who can help him and shelter him while I figure out how to escape them… _

"… Trill. Come back inside and install into the touch-pen. Quickly!"

"Huh? Eh… Y-yeah…"

"Listen: I might run into trouble… right now. I'll expel you! Try to locate a person named Hikari! Hikari! Do you get it? Ask for Hikari family!"

"B-but… Oneechan! What's going on?" Trill nervously asked.

"No time for explanations."

She heard the car speeding up and she quickly aimed the PET at the side-alley to eject the touch-pen: she ran forward as the rear door opened and a lace flew off: it fell into her and tightened around her waist before it was pulled and the door closed.

"Police! Kidnapping!"

"There! That blue Hyundai!"

"Bastards!"

"Police!"

The car sped away and was soon out of sight: the touch-pen glowed with a yellow glow inside of the side-alley but no – one seemed to be noticing that to begin with.

"Oneechan…? What happened…? Trill doesn't understand… But Trill will find "Hikari", Oneechan… But how will Trill get out of here?"

"… Did you hear those yells, Saito – niisan?"

"Yeah, Netto – kun…! It sounded like someone's been kidnapped!"

"Oi! Hikari! What's going on?"

"We were carrying out an update to the software…"

"… Hikari…? There they are…? Come! Come!"

"… Huh? I feel like a voice calling out."

"Really? I don't feel anything."

Netto and Saito had rushed into the alley while looking around in a confused manner: Sigma and Blood Shadow projected out of the PETs and were startled, too: Saito suddenly frowned.

"Huh? Look… That touch-pen is glowing… Almost like something had been installed there… I'll go check it out."

Saito headed for the touch-pen and picked it up: he inserted it into his PET after taking out the original one and Trill showed up there.

"Whoa! You're… Trill?"

"Are you Hikari?"

"Yeah. Hikari Saito…"

"Remember me?" Blood Shadow asked.

"Ah! Blood – oniichan!" He looked relieved.

"Mwah, hah, hah… Yo! Trill!"

"Uncle Sigma! Yay! Trill remembers!"

"So… What happened? Ah! I'm Hikari Netto. The person who created you is our grandpa, see."

"Oneechan looked worried. She told Trill to hide in the pen and to seek "Hikari" before she ejected me… There was some noise… Like a car speeding away…" Trill described.

"Hmmm… Maybe "Deadly Pandora"…?" Saito wondered.

"Twilight spotted Trill somehow…? Have you been to the Cyber World as of late, Trill?" Blood Shadow tried asking.

"Yeah! Yesterday..."

"Did you spot anyone weird or…?"

"Huh… There were a lot of Navis."

"Huh? Oi. Hikari. Ayanokouji's callin'…" Sigma reported.

"Yaito – chan? Then patch her through, Sigma."

"Roger."

"Netto! Are ya alright?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. I wasn't involved in this incident… What do the news say? We didn't get to see anything…" Netto asked.

"A blue Hyundai suddenly kidnapped a girl Meiru – chan's age! But they spotted the registration plate and there were witnesses so the police are confident to find them soon…"

"Unless they changed plates…" Blood Shadow warned.

"But if they set up a speed trap and force them to pull over and then to check every compartment…"

"They won't bother to make all the way to their hideout or base of operations in Japan in car… They'll likely go somewhere else and Twilight will use the "gateway" or the "Dimensional Converters" to warp them there without a trace." Saito exposed.

"Ah! So this is the work of that Twilight guy who last year tried to taunt Meiru – chan into being a sadist? I'll boycott their business!"

"I doubt that "Neo Gospel" or "Deadly Pandora" have assets on the stock market to begin with…" Sigma muttered.

"What was that, cha?"

"Ya-Yaito – sama! Did you tell me to order strawberry milk?" Glyde gasped on the background.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Bring it up!" Yaito distractedly replied.

"Gentlemen. We meet again."

"Ah! Chief Lezareno!"

Lezareno met up with them while having an iPhone on his right hand which he'd obviously used to look at the news.

"Do we have any leads to the victim's ID?"

"Well. Her name is Iris… And… Well. To put it simple… She knew important data regarding a system to create antibodies to the "Juuka Inshi" or "Bestialize Factor" which Twilight is using…" Blood Shadow summed up.

"Ah! So they want to force her to tell them how it works?"

"Correct. But she ejected the program and we've secured it, sir."

"Excellent. But the young lady's rescue should be priority one. Mr. Zero approached us a while ago and told us he seems to have found some information regarding "Deadly Pandora"…"

"If we could get some kind of lead…" Netto muttered.

"We'd use it with a welder to draw the tracks in a circuit board." Sigma made a pun.

"That's pewter, not lead." Blood Shadow corrected.

"I'll get all departments on the move. If we could retrieve the car then we might find some hairs or DNA residues to be forensically analyzed and figure out the IDs of the abductors… Good-bye."

Lezareno rushed away while the group sighed.

"Alright. Trill. Do you trust us?" Blood Shadow asked.

"Blood – oniichan is nice! And Uncle Sigma's funny!"

"Alright. We'll protect you, Trill, and rescue Iris."

"Mwah, hah, hah. Hum, Dum, Zum!" Sigma made up some silly rhyme on the spot.

"Yay! Trill remembers that rhyme! Tee, heh, heh! Zum, Dum, Hum! Dum, Zum, Hum! Dum, Hum, Zum!"

"As long as he finds it funny…" Blood Shadow shrugged.

"I side with Blood. But we should report this to Vadous – san and Omega ASAP." Netto suggested.

"The sooner we start the investigation the better!" Saito rallied them.

"I'll handle that. Sigma! Watch the fort."

"Roger. Uncle Sigma will go visit Commander Omega."

"Yay! Trill wants to meet Uncle Omega! He was cool!" Trill giggled and sounded excited.

"Later, Blood! And beware of Hum-Zum-Dum Man!"

12:52 PM (Honolulu Time), Saturday July the 5th…

"… That "warp" thing is cool…"

"Yeah. We've jumped this much in a mere instant…"

_Huh… Huh…? Where am I…?_

Iris slowly regained consciousness as she heard voices close by and the unmistakable sound of a chopper's rotor blades.

_All's black! I must have… Yes. I have a bag over my head… And they immobilized my wrists too… This noise… I don't know it… It could be some machine… And it's moving… But it doesn't feel like it's trekking across the ground or the water… Maybe it's an aerial machine?_

"So! Dia."

"Oh come on. Just call me Diamond, Pearl."

"Heh, heh, heh. What's your newest _manzai_?"

"Jeez. That Dr. Yoru guy has been influencing ya."

"He's a genius! With capital G."

"Sure, sure."

"Hi there! Welcome to Blofeld's cool base, by Starvo!"

"Mike. Stop kidding. Code 56-DG-77-EJ!" Diamond grumbled.

"MIKE~!"

"YIKES! P-Platinum!"

"STOP ACTING LIKE AN IMBECILE AND OPEN THE HATCH ALREADY~! YOU SLOW-WITTED MORON!"

"Wha~t? Bring it on!"

"No! Jade's out there and I don't want to look like a moron!" Platinum grumbled.

"CHE! I'll remember this, by Ernst and devil and damnation!"

"See, Dia?"

"JEEZ! Pearl. Do us a favor and get serious."

"I'd do a good cow-boy."

"Just because ya got lucky with the lace thing 'cause you'd never tried it before to begin with…" Diamond sighed.

_Hum. They don't seem to be too serious. But maybe these are lesser rank and the higher ranks are another tale. Let them try to force me to tell them Trill's abilities. I won't. No matter what. I'm not afraid. _

"Platinum! Platinum the platinum!"

"W-w-WHA~T? MIKE~! YOU MORON!"

"HAH! EYE FOR AN EYE, YOU COOL GUY WANNABE~!"

"SILENCE! I'm hearing that from the landing pad!"

"Yikes! That's Jade, ain't it?"

"Yes! Mike! Behave like the guy you are and not some crybaby! Or else there'll be CONSEQUENCES! Did you get me? By Zeus!"

"Man."

"See?" Bill sighed and sounded exasperated.

"No – one has a sense of humor…"

"So! Mike! Did your girlfriend pull your ears?" Anaya joked.

"W-wh-what? Eh… Well… That's… No!" He timidly replied.

"Tee, heh, heh. She did, I can see that. You tended to go vacationing to Valencia's moon all-too-often."

"V-Valencia's moon? What's Valencia, a _Star Wars_ planet?"

"Oh come on! You never studied geography? Valencia is both a city and a territory of Spain in the Mediterranean coast!"

"Then why do you say "Valencia's Moon" to begin with?"

"Tee, heh, heh. It's a saying! It means that are absent-minded, distracted or not paying attention."

"Lovely." He sighed in defeat.

"Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Anaya – san…! This is turning MAD again." Izono sighed.

_Is that supposed to be THE criminal organization which was capable of doing things like remodeling a whole Cyber World city into an imitation of our world? Doesn't sound like it to me! _

"Alright. I see the hatch. Let's descend…"

"…into Dia's stomach's bowels!"

"Stop comparing me to that half-witted kid who was eating the whole time and did things in a sluggish and lazy manner!"

"Too bad, Dia! I'm inspired today and we're gonna talk about eggs and bicycles and tornadoes."

"What the hell…? I need to lock myself on the room and plug my ears to keep you away, Pearl. You're a really WEIRD guy."

"Maybe yes maybe not. Do you expect me to talk?"

"By damnation and…! Not the _Gold-finger_ joke again…! No! I expect you to shut up, Mr. Pearl Siren! Your own code-name is ironic!"

"Then call me "Sireno"."

"If that's supposed an attempt to make up a male word for siren in Spanish then… It's pretty lame. Not, not "pretty"… TOTALLY LAME! HEAR ME? Go tuna and mackerel and flounder and eel!" Diamond was exasperated or driven to the edge by now.

"Sure. I'll visit some rotating _sushi_ restaurant."

"Pearl! Act like a man!" Platinum scolded.

"Oh crap. Forgot this is full-duplex mode… Alright, you win, Platinum…"

_About time. That randomness was stupid. _

The chopper began to descend and it finally touched down: two pairs of footsteps were heard into the cabin and one of the fuselage sliding doors was opened: someone tapped Iris on her right shoulder and she simply stood up and calmly jumped into the floor to the remain still as if indicating she didn't need to be pushed around.

"So that's the lil girl, eh, Twilight?"

"Correct. Do you have the PET?"

"Yeah. Here you have, _Danna_." Diamond replied.

"Piece of a cake..." Pearl sounded cocky.

"… Huh? Hmmm…? Ah? What! Ah! How clever."

"What?"

"The touch-pen's missing… The "Synchronizer" was there… She foresaw this _scenario _and ejected it into the street… And it's surely been picked by the police… Maybe the Science Labs will come in… And then _kyoudai_ will be called into the picture too… And he'll recognize them… And figure out that it was indeed our work…" He calmly muttered.

"Hmpf! Smart little girl… She's got guts… I like that. She's picked me already… Let's just keep her here and try to have her tell us about the "Synchronizer"… Maybe the R Strategy will do…" Anaya sounded amused despite the outcome.

"Allow me to suggest something. The V Strategy…"

"Vincent "Red", eh?"

"Sure. With the guy's drunken ramblings… They drive anyone mad before long… I'm sure that even our Mistress here will have to give up their stubbornness after some "enlightening" sessions…"

_So they plan on bombarding me with randomness devoid of any point or logic… And hope that in my annoyance and being fed up with that I'll tell them what they seek… That won't work either. I'm not intimidated._

"Take here to a room but only IQ…"

"Ahem, ahem."

"I mean… Anaya – sama and I can come closer. Bring her food, of course, and water… But otherwise stay clear of her room. I'll place an automated Navi guard to ensure compliance with the orders. Do you have any objections, Mr. Opoulos?"

"No. If you've got a strategy then use it. I'll simply make sure the one or two little jobs our clients need to fulfill are carried out ASAP."

"Nelaus. Send Isaac to Internet City and spread a rumor about a ransom: it will draw those guys out and maybe by using one of my "Darkloids" to taunt them they'll reveal the location of the "Synchronizer" but if I've got to guess then Vadous will keep them in the HQ." Anaya instructed.

"Roger, Boss."

"Count on us."

_They sound younger… But the woman sounded like that "HQ" place that armored man named Vadous owns is unreachable for them or the security too high for them to break in… Maybe they don't want to risk being forced to retreat in haste and leave some trails leading to this place._

"Bring her to Room 14… And don't push her either." Opoulos commanded.

"Roger." Diamond confirmed.

Iris began to walk and followed the sound of Diamond's steps until he stopped and unlocked a room: she was led inside and her wrist ropes cut before the door got shut from the outside and locked: she calmly took out the bag and looked around the room.

_A bed, a chair, a table, and an adjacent bathroom… Fine. It could've been some dirty prison cell even but this place mustn't be designed to hold anyone hostage to begin with… Let them try. I won't yield._

She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked challenging.

_Trill. You'll find them: I know it. And I'll come back to you: I promise you!_


	23. Chapter 23: Of beers and ghosts

**Chapter 23: Of beers and ghosts**

11:21 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday July the 8th…

"…little running animal with four legs and a tail: which is it?"

"Jeez. Joey! That riddle is SO OLD… A rat!"

"Rat-Man!"

"Oh come on!"

"So! Beer-Man dropped by~?"

"What in the… Aren't you the one who's always drinking?"

Two soldiers were discussing while standing in a concrete corridor somewhere near a half-open door with the label "TV ROOM" on it: the sound of a TV and chatter rang out from the inside.

"Ya never know." Joey (the one in the left) told the other.

"By all the… I'm not named Greg in vain! Joey! Stop kidding and let's go patrol already or else the big bosses with get mad at us."

"I just got a BRILLIANT idea for a motto! Listen up: Vain Greg: the model soldier of the 21st century~!"

"Model soldier…! I give up, man."

"Heh, heh, heh… Oh the despair and hopelessness! Running wild and uncontrolled through your throats…!"

"Shut up. Shadow Man."

"Who the heck is that _otaku_ guy?"

"Dunno."

The guards gasped when someone showed up there: that "someone" happened to be "Cross Fusion" Miyabi.

The shape of "CF" Miyabi happened to be rather similar to that of Shadow Man himself with just a few edits.

His helmet, for example, gained two fang-shaped blood red drawings just beneath the eyes' lower edge and running across the mouth-guard: it had a rounder shape compared to Shadow Man's.

Partial white armor had been built over the torso and over the shoulders: the red "scarf" was still surrounding the neck: the two extensions below his back were on their place too.

The rest of the bodysuit had a more armor-like look compared to Shadow Man's mail shirt design: the outer edge facing backwards of each leg gained a black patch split by a white edge.

The arms' partial armor, the elbow's needle and such were unchanged as well.

The socks over the legs were there too but instead of sandals "CF" Miyabi used partial shoes covering the central part of his feet and forming armor protecting the heels and circling the ankles.

He now carried _two_ _katana_ sheaths instead of one aiming inwards each one attached to his back.

"Tee, heh, heh! Boo~!"

Trill (having a white "ghost" robe with two cut holes for the eyes) suddenly hovered behind Joey.

"A~h!"

"A g-ghost…?" Greg gasped.

"Coming…" Shadow Man sounded eager.

"Be serious, I say. We got invited to try out "Cross Fusion" and this system and you can only come up with jokes?" Miyabi sighed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh the curse of the worker…!"

"Curse of the worker… Patent it!"

"Delighted. Cursed of the worker: activate! Target: Joey! Curse~…"

"YEA~RGH! MOMMY~! SOMEONE SAVE MY HIDE~! GRA~H! UA~H!"

"Oi, Joey!"

Joey ran inside of the room and they heard a slamming sound: Trill suddenly formed three Monster Balls and the Pokémon "Gos", "Ghost" and "Gangar" came out.

"Gosu~…"

"Gosuto~…"

"Ganga~…"

"GRA~H! INTRUDERS! GHOSTS!"

Greg ran inside too while "CF" Netto walked in from the right and was giggling yet Saito was silent today.

"You've drunk too much Budweiser!"

"Sod off a soda."

"I'm serious! There are three types of ghosts there, a small white robe ghost and some _ninja_ _otaku_ guy~!" Greg insisted.

"Sure, sure. It's gotta be your imagination, Greg."

"Leave us alone: we don't wanna miss this film."

"That's _The Two Towers_! How many times have you seen it already?"

"But this one's the extra version with extra scenes!"

"A charm…! My kingdom for a charm…!" Joey's muffled voice rang out.

"Come outta the toilet already, Joey!"

"Get me a friggin' charm first!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Curse of the Worker: Continuous Effect Trap Card which will force a targeted Monster to remain on Defense Position Face Up on the Field as long as this Card is Activated. Pay 500 LP in each of your Standby Phases to continue the Effect." Shadow Man described.

"_Shigotonin no noroi_!" "CF" Netto grinned.

"Hikari Netto… Not you too."

"… Can we move on already?" Saito finally asked.

"Yay! Trill will treat them to cans!"

"Let's be silent, though. We don't want to trigger the "Alert Mode" and have those guys come for us."

"Silence of the Dead." Shadow Man whispered.

"That – wasn't – funny!" Miyabi hushed back.

The group climbed some stairs and made it to an upper floor: Trill got handed two Red Bull beer cans by "CF" Netto and he calmly pushed them to roll across the ground towards two guards chatting just at the turning of the corner.

"Huh? Red Bull!"

"Mine!"

Both picked them and opened them but a green gas came out instead and they fell to the ground, snoring: the group ran past them and stopped before another corner.

"Good. I'll handle it. You guys stay there and watch how you've got to do it like… Time for a _ninja_ silent approach from behind…"

"CF" Miyabi silently tip-toed to reach a guard walking down the corridor and giving him the back: he suddenly drew a _katana_ and softly pressed the tip against the guy's back.

"Don't move!"

"YIKES!"

"Where's the flag?"

"5-500 meters further…!"

"Good. Here: some Red Bull. I feel generous."

"Oho! Cheers! Huh…! Zzzzz!"

"Red Bull is bad for the health."

The guys ran further in (after the beer can's gas knocked the guard out) and into a room having a pole with a simple black flag having the purple "V" drawn into its body: 3D letters formed into the air right there.

"GOAL!"

The whole environment suddenly seemed to become "cybernetic" and fade away to reveal circuitry patterns flying towards a white round "portal" set further in: they began to float in the air and fly towards the "portal" at a quick speed.

"Tee, heh, heh!"

A white flash ensued and the next moment they were standing inside of a tall and wide cubical room having a matrix of green and black squares covering all surfaces.

"Yay!"

Their "Cross Fusions" got released and both picked their PETs as a holographic screen popped out in front of them.

VR CUSTOMIZER

MODE: SNEAKING

DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

TIME: 07:49

RANK: A

USERS: SHADOW MAN, ROCK MAN, TRILL, HIKARI NETTO, DARK MIYABI

HAVE A NICE DAY!

"Well. I can't say it wasn't interesting." Dark Miyabi smiled.

"This humbled abode is interesting and so was the banner." Shadow Man sounded amused.

"What did it say, anyway?"

"Ahem, ahem. "Where struggle meets a sudden end in the form of a blessing from the Great Monk…"… Heh, heh, heh."

"That's… weird. Even for me."

"You don't know Dragon – san's banners enough." Netto sighed.

"They drive you mad."

"Tee, heh, heh! Dragon – san speaks funny!"

"Attention: VR Room users… Come to the command bridge."

"That's Vadous – san. He must have some news."

"Let's go meet him then. Lead the way."

Netto nodded so both he and Miyabi came out into one of the corridors and then made their way to the elevator: they reached another corridor and, from there, they stepped into a door labeled "COMMAND BRIDGE ELEVATOR" which contained a cargo elevator and an incline shaft climbing upwards.

"Let's go!"

They stepped into the elevator and it climbed up before ending up in the command room: Vadous turned his armchair around and he looked tired: Zero could be seen in one of the screens.

"We finally got it. The name! THE NAME!"

"Whoa!"

"Kranos Opoulos, 56, born in Athens… Left for NYC at age 26… He enrolled into the FBI at 37: he'd been working as Greek interpreter and telecommunications engineer… He quit at age 53… Current whereabouts: unknown. Here's a photo…" Zero described.

"Wow! So he was in the FBI: no wonder we didn't find the guy!"

"How did you?" Miyabi asked.

"Someone approached me with the info. They use the alias "Mr. X."…"

"And how did they know?" Shadow asked.

"They hinted at having known Anaya before her "IQ" period but that they'd always feared she'd end up like that… Anaya had once boasted about the guy, he used some connections to check it up, and confirmed it up… He didn't think it was the guy running the show until now because he'd left some dummies there and there so as to make it look like that he was still working full-time at the FBI…" Zero went on.

"Good. But that doesn't bring us any closer to Iris." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. By the way, Miyabi… Can you leave for a moment? I need to discuss something… Slightly private..."

"Alright."

"Trill! Uncle Sigma invites ya to Super Mario Bros. DX!"

"Yay! Mario beats the bad guys! Hop! Coin! Mushroom!"

Trill ran off and Miyabi activated the elevator to leave: they waited until he'd closed the door and Vadous sighed.

"Zero. Thanks for the info."

"Don't mind it: I'm off to hunting."

Zero left and a slightly uncomfortable silence formed until Vadous sighed and half-turned the armchair to input some commands into the console: he brought up photos of the Antarctica lab.

"What's that?" Nettto asked.

"A secret lab Maria built in Antarctica… Beneath an abandoned Indian outpost… And there… There I found that…"

"But what's that? Looks like some capsule or cylinder…" Saito frowned and didn't seem to see the point.

"… A duo… A duo is out there… Plotting… Growing stronger… With every passing day… And I still dunno their faces or their names…!"

"A duo? Sorry, we're not following."

"… A fourth "Demon Tribe" member… With a Net Navi companion…"

"W-what!" Both gasped.

"Maria. She seemingly wanted to go for a new approach altogether: the whole place looked like it'd been designed to be autonomous for years on end… And the earliest moment I can find hints of something going on is early 2003… So I guess our subject was hibernating during 5 years to mature and absorb more knowledge: a Navi who would become his companion surely kept watch from time to time too. But since they destroyed the main computer from the inside then I've got no big deal on them… But I'm sure the guy is 16. He might be intended to become a "rival" to you two." He exposed.

"A rival…!" Netto muttered.

"And if the "Darkloids" are giving the guy field lessons on how to fight and he's pitting against them he'll soon become hardened enough… I wonder if Twilight is feeling envious or what about the guy…"

"Maybe. But maybe Maria sees potential on them and has forbidden Twilight from picking on him…. And I think I can say when he was "awakened"… On Saturday June the 28th… Barely 12 days ago: the super-sonic jet must've been prepared to get away quick and by the time anyone notices then all trails have been erased."

"So… We gotta expect a guy to show up and challenge us with a new type of battling strategies altogether?" Netto tried to deduce.

"That's what I'd thought. It had been bugging me for a while and hence my sour mood… To think that she went to such ends… Hibernation for long periods of time involving a growing body as well is something which has never been tested before… Many things could've gone wrong but they didn't… Yet… To risk a life like that…"

"I get the point… To die without ever being conscious of whom you are or who you were going to become…" Saito trailed off and looked depressed at the thought.

"I know… That's why I wanted to warn you two…"

"You did well on warning us, Vadous – san."

"We'll be returning. I'll pick my body from Dr. Lartes' room and we'll ride on the shuttle back Earth…"

"Good. I warned Charles but kept it at there. If the guy were to show up you simply say "a guy who got recruited by them" and that will work: not like he'll begin to boast about his status either, I believe."

"Roger. Good morning."

"Take care."

Netto walked off and climbed down with the elevator while Vadous sighed and faced the console again.

"Omega… Any updates?"

"Not really… Search Man and Blues did figure out the car had been stolen from a local parking lot so… And they'd ditched it close to the sea: it'd been burned away so no forensic stuff…"

"Damn it. There I thought they'd rush it all but they took their time: Twilight wasn't taking any damned chances."

"Doesn't look it, yeah… Chut. They're coming… I'll bring them down there and then go back up as usual… Blood is with them and Sigma is still playing with Trill so… Let's let him play."

"Good. And he'll be safe here: the guy could risk an all-out attack but I could have several defenders ready…"

"And when leaving in a rush they'd expose a trail so…"

"I know. Later."

"Later."

Vadous nervously tapped the right armrest and closed his eyes: he seemed to start resting or meditating.

"… On the other hand… A slow growth over 5 years might make him be more stable physically and mentally instead of the method used on us…"

He opened his eyes again and he seemed to be starting a monologue as if reflecting aloud.

"Like how Palpatine's clone bodies aged rapidly and lasted for a short time: all of his hatred and power were too much for those bodies to handle in the first place…"

He stood up and began to pace around the armchair in a nervous manner before heading out of the room and down the elevator: he reached the corridor and made his way to the mess hall.

"Dragon!"

"… Yikes! Eh… Boss?"

Vadous' voice seemed to make Dragon Hell snap back to reality as he walked into the kitchen.

"Green tea! I need some green tea."

"R-roger."

He quickly prepared some and served it on a ceramic cup which he brought to one of the tables: Vadous slowly drank it and seemed to ease up some tension.

"See? You can make decent things when you set your mind to it! Try being more realistic and save up Master Confucius for later."

"Huh! W-well… Y-yes, Boss… I'll try to, Boss."

"And next time make sure the banners say something logical before printing them and hanging them out too…"

"Huh! Y-yes, Boss… I really should try to check them twice…"

"Fine. See you around."

Vadous came out while looking slightly relaxed and like he'd shaken off the gloomy mood which was chasing him.

_Well. Whoever you are, young man… You'll have to prove your worth in a battle. Come anytime: we'll be expecting you, young man…! My word!_


	24. Chapter 24: Shade Man's Ambition

**Chapter 24: Shade Man's ambition**

11:41 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 9th…

"… Heh, heh, heh… De puku… Let's see! De puku."

"…overwhelming charming beauty is going, de masu…"

"Yamitarou!"

"…hearts I'd like to offer to Mariko – sensei, masu…"

"Stop playing broadcaster! It's shameful!"

"…grace in movements, de masu…"

"Ya-mi-ta-rou~!"

"…passionate fighting spirit of the 21st century, de masu…"

"That's - SILLY! TOO SILLY!"

"Puku! The weird commentator is back, de puku… Aha! There's the guy, de puku… Chatting with that shades guy… Puku…"

Bubble Man had come to the Internet City Coliseum to witness that Roll was fighting a standard Navi on the arena: Higure was the commentator and was making silly comments: Number Man (on his PET) was scolding him in live too: he spotted Rock Man and Blood Shadow sitting in one of the benches and looking out.

"Well. Roll – chan's technique seems to have improved."

"Sakurai – san must have been doing some research and wants to shake off Ooyama – kun by showing him how she's able to fight on her own: I wouldn't be surprised if she was granted a "Synchro Chip" and managed to perform "Cross Fusion" too… If Miyabi could do it…"

"You've got a point, yeah."

Bubble Man crept down the stairs and hid beneath the bench to apparently listen in: he was grinning.

_De puku! Heh, heh, heh! Pu-pu-puku~! I'm a genius, de puku! Heh!_

"…brightness which blinds my eyes, masu…"

"Shut the trap up!"

"…dancing which can rival _Swan Lake_, de masu…"

"Oh come on." Blood Shadow groaned.

"That was silly. Poor Number Man..." Rock Man sighed.

"Anyway… Did you already test out all Battle Chips from the birthday party, Rock Man?"

"Sure. The O – Saber was cool: it had some program which told me the combos and maneuvers I could use with it. I'm growing stronger too: but maybe I need some fighting with the "Darkloids" in the VR Simulator to get fresh again… The "Zoanoroids" were though…"

"Sure were…"

_So the guy's gotten new Battle Chips, de puku! Heh, heh, heh. Now I gotta figure out what they are, de puku… And how to counter 'em! Puku! I'm a genius! Heh, heh, heh! I've been researching on these guys! Puku! They underestimated Bubble Man – sama~! PUKU!_

"…kick which delivers passion, de masu…"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?"

"How can a kick deliver passion, anyway?" Rock Man skeptically wondered aloud.

"Ask him. If he knows…" Blood Shadow grumbled.

"…punch which delivers grace and subtleness, masu…"

"SILENCE~!"

"Higure – san's gotten weird as of late… The summer heat…?" Netto wondered over the radio band.

"Surely…" Rock Man sighed.

"No room for mistakes…"

"…Masu! Program Advance which pours out the burning youth fire…"

"Chut! Chut! Chut!"

"Someone hit him in the head with a hammer." Blood Shadow cursed.

"Maybe Commander Beef will." Netto sighed.

"When will they stop the "love war", anyway?" Rock Man grumbled.

"…and to finish it all another Program Advance which delivers shining endless energy… De masu…"

"Grah! Shining endless energy…! YAMITAROU~! YOU MORON!"

"That commentator guy is weird, right?" A normal Navi asked another.

"Sure is, you know…"

"His Navi seems to believe he's making a fool of himself!"

"Which he is: those comments are pale attempts at trying to come up with poetic lines…" Another spectator commented with some defeatism.

"Man." Yet another sighed in defeat.

"Oh boy. I knew it." Rock Man rolled his eyes.

"Yeah… The forums are gonna boil with activity soon enough…"

"Facebook is already full of comments." Netto let out.

"No wonder." Rock Man wasn't surprised at all.

"Oh. And Twitter is very active… The hash-tag is "Higure-Yamitarou-Battle-Comments"…" Netto reported next.

"The Network's boiling with activity, huh?" Blood Shadow muttered.

"Sure is…" Rock Man shrugged.

"…and a starring victory is achieved in the record time of 2 minutes 51 seconds! DE MASU~! Total damage delivered: 2500 HP! MASU~! The opponent had 2200 HP and didn't get to deliver a single scratch to the starry 21st century gladiator Roll EXE! De masu!"

"Gladiator… Come on! Pick "Net Battler" instead. Gladiator matches were to death in most of the cases and very bloody." Blood Shadow sighed and slapped his forehead.

"I know…"

"Mwah, hah, hah… So! You did it! Eh? Bloody~ Shadowy~?"

"What did I do?"

Sigma suddenly joined them by sitting left of Rock Man who merely glanced at him with an unimpressed glare: Blood Shadow didn't bother stop looking forward.

"No use pretending!"

"… Oh come on."

"Not here!" Rock Man fumed.

"What… There's a face-down Trap Card 'ere…? Heh, heh, heh."

"No." Both drily replied.

"The Dry Duo!"

Both fumed and were already fed up with Sigma's lame mottoes: he grinned and leant backwards so Bubble Man took out a small Killer Eye and tried to attach it to one of his right hand's fingers: but Sigma seemed to notice that because he suddenly used the other hand to grip Bubble Man's head and pull him out while swinging him over him and have him stand very close to his face.

"PUKU~!"

"Bubble Man!" Rock Man gasped.

"He was spying on us?" Blood Shadow gasped.

"Mwah, hah, hah. He tried to place a Killer Eye on me but the thing tickled: I remembered that Skull Man told me that the same had happened to 'im a few days ago… He's trying to collect info on our battle techniques!" He grinned.

"Why would he bother? Or did the "Neo Gospel" guys approach him and tell him to do that for them?" Netto wondered.

"Puku! Rock Man! Showdown, de puku!"

"No need to." Rock Man calmly replied.

"Nya~h! I'm gonna beat ya to a pulp with bubbles!"

"Patent it."

"Patent? What's that, de puku?"

"Dunno. Check it out on Wikipedia."

"Mwah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah. Let's go to our abode: Commander Omega will ask you some questions 'cause somethin' reeks in 'ere… I'll tell ya later, guys… Mwah, hah, hah."

Sigma ran off with Bubble Man on tow: the other two looked rather surprised: Roll joined them and looked curious.

"Where did Sigma go to?"

"He caught Bubble Man spying on us beneath the bench so he's gonna take him to the HQ and try to see why he's bothering to study our battle techniques all of a sudden." Rock Man explained.

"Something reeks." Netto muttered.

"Your teeth…?" Meiru joked.

"Hah, hah, hah. How original." He drily replied.

"My. What dryness. It's true that summer dries everyone up then!"

"…and such I proclaim that Commander Beef is outdated and I'm the most cool guy in Akihara City, de masu! Higure Yamitarou: a shining man!"

"You DON'T shine AT ALL." Number Man fumed.

CRASH!

"De masu~… I'm seeing the stars, de masu~… I shine, I shine~… Masu~…"

11:58 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Commander Omega! I caught the lil spy."

"Hum. Alright. Talk..."

"Yikes! You're the guy who sealed Shade Man – sama! De puku! 3 years ago! De puku! I remember it!"

"No wonder."

"Hmpf! I won't say anything! De puku! Have at ya!"

"Oh yeah? Maybe we need to open up your head and check out the data clusters there?"

"YEA~RGH! DE PUKU~! I'll talk!"

"Mwah, hah, hah!"

Sigma brought Bubble Man to the central square on the HQ's Cyber World where Omega had been looking up some photos of Opoulos and data: he shut the screen and calmly turned around: Sigma dropped Bubble Man into the ground and Omega looked dull and bored: he ignored Bubble Man's annoyance and when he tried to play "strong" Omega made a threat and he immediately panicked.

"My Battle Data strategy, de puku, was commissioned!"

"By whom?"

"By Didact – sama!"

"Didact? Twilight? Did he remind you slightly of Rock Man? The guy has a cloak, helmet and diamond-shaped shoulders."

"Oh yeah! De puku. At first I refused. But then…"

"He promised to deliver something in exchange. Dark Chips?" Omega deduced.

"No, de puku."

"What, then?"

"Shade Man – sama's resurrection…!"

"WHAT?"

"And he did it, de puku! He said "I see a future in you Darkloids. I'm a far-off cousin of you guys. So go smash those eyesore humans."… Puku!"

"Hmpf. The guy's good at chatting, as usual…"

"And so he prepared everything so that I only needed to get some Dark Chips and give them to Shade Man – sama to power him up. He left all Darkloid data ready to be repaired and reactivated too, de puku. All data I've been collecting ever since a month ago is picked up by a guy named Cosmo Man, de puku…" He looked smug by now.

"I see. More headaches to send our way, so as to say…"

"Heh, heh, heh! De puku! So Shade Man – sama is back in charge of the Darkloids and we have access to "Dimensional Converters" he'd built before he got sealed 3 years ago by you guys! Puku!"

"Well. This time around we'll save up something else for the guy. Sigma: throw his small fry somewhere and let them back their back way to the castle. If I know Shade Man he'll be pissed off that Bubble Man talked and all and he'll be scolded. He might send a "Darkloid" to attack us but that doesn't matter much: we can beat them."

"Roger, Commander Omega!"

He picked Bubble Man and dragged him across the ground before jumping into a shaft hidden beneath the 3D Earth: Omega opened a communications screen with Vadous who wasn't surprised.

"Hmpf. I knew the guy had been too quiet and this is one of the reasons: the other could be that he's been training the newbie."

"Whatever. Let him try to surprise us."

"Sure. If you 3 could beat the 8 remaining guys 3 years ago you can go beat them again. And we could send many others too. It's about time we told these guys that we won't let them do as they like."

12:12 PM (Japan Time)…

"… WHAT?"

"Yes, de puku, but…"

"You lowlife!"

"W-what?"

"You failed to get data on that Rock Man brat!"

"But I got info on…!"

"That doesn't help!"

Bubble Man had reported to Shade Man and he stood up from the throne while looking annoyed: he began to plead but that only made Shade Man to be far more annoyed than before.

"CRUSH NOISE!"

"Uwa-wa-wa~h! SHADE MAN – SAMA~! DE PUKU~!"

"Che! Beast Man!"

"Shade Man – sama. Command me."

Beast Man appeared and kneeled in front of Shade Man.

"Go strike the Science Labs: that'll draw Rock Man out! Delete them but don't forget to record any battle data. It could be helpful when fighting other opponents." Shade Man commanded as he sat down again.

"Please leave it to me." Beast Man politely told him back.

"Go!"

"… Boo!"

"YIKES!"

"Mwho, hoh, hoh…"

"Desert Man! You jerk! Stop becoming a patch of sand to then rise up!"

"Che." Shade Man grumbled.

"You're easy to scare, Star Man!"

"Go scare a scary scar!" He made up some rhyme out of annoyance.

"Wha~t? Damn you~…"

"Che. I suspect the "Didact" guy to have inserted the instinct of kin-strife into the other Darkloids…! The jerk must be using us for his ends! I want to find them and make them regret this! And I would've broken out of that tomb sooner or later, anyway." He muttered.

"Shade Man – sama… Good news, sir…"

"Tell me! Flash Man."

Flash Man came in and kneeled on the middle platform.

"Nebula was decimated as we suspected and Regal is no longer involved into this… It'd seem the parties involved are "Neo Gospel" and "Deadly Pandora" but I'd rather worry about the first. They have some new-gen "Darkloids" and Net Navis…"

"Hmpf! Those aren't true "Darkloids"! They're mere Navis upgraded with our own "Darkloid Factor"! The jerk!"

"The jerk is actually named Twilight. The name he used was sarcastic because it means he's good at planning and strategies."

"Hmpf! How fitting."

"But I'm concerned that the number of defending Net Navis seems to have been increased as well… It could be over 13."

"What! 13 defending Navis?" Shade Man gasped.

"True. We are, in total, 15 Darkloids. We still have the upper edge when it comes to numbers but… If we excluded Bubble Man… We're 14 and we're only superior by 1…" Flash Man admitted.

"Damn it. And if they come together there'll be all-out-war… So be it! Let there be all-out-war! And make sure those idiots stay quiet."

"Excuse me?"

"Desert Man! Go tell them to behave!"

"Roger."

Flash Man warped away while Shade Man grumbled aloud while being seemingly annoyed by the news.

"Where the hell did all they come out from? Or where they already around but have just begun to band together…?"

"Desert Man! Shade Man – sama tells you to behave. We need to make a good united front because there are 14 imbeciles out there ready to storm us anytime." Flash Man grumbled.

"W-what!" Desert Man gasped.

"Oh devil!" Video Man cursed.

"By bowling!" Bowl Man uttered aloud.

"Hyu~h! Uh-oh!" Cold Man sounded panicked.

"_Check it out_! I'll win with my flashy moves! Yay!" Bright Man proclaimed.

"Hrum! So a new campaign has begun." Sword Man muttered.

"Heh! Let them come! I'll burn 'em…" Burner Man sneered.

"I'll beat them to a pulp!" Star Man giggled.

"Unit Gravity Man will trap them in the Gravitational Hell…"

"Hah! I'll electrocute them with my lances!" Spark Man boasted.

"Heh! I'd rather go for a slow and juicy demise." Plant Man chuckled.

"Hmpf. Fine. At least the morale is high…" Shade Man muttered.

He didn't spot Cloud Man hiding outside of the building and looking out through one of the windows while sneering and looking smug: he quickly flew away while chuckling under his breath.

_What a bunch of clowns! Let them be destroyed by Twilight – sama! Hah!_


	25. Chapter 25: Fleeing

**Chapter 25: Fleeing**

12:53 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 9th…

"… Beast Ray!"

"Run!"

"Damn it!"

"It's them again!"

"Run! You damned powerless humans! Hah, hah, hah! Stick out your damned hide, Rock Man! I'll delete you!"

"Go back home instead."

"Hah! There you are! Things won't go like 3 years ago!"

"I knew that. Because I have the upper hand…"

"Wha~t?"

"I've improved far beyond your imagination."

"Boast while you can! Jumping Claw!"

"Battle Chip, O – Saber!"

Beast Man had begun to assault the Science Labs after forming a "Dimensional Area": "CF" Netto quickly entered the main room but he wasn't surprised at all: Beast Man jumped into the air but "CF" Netto drew the O – Saber and it began to hum as he took stance and calmly cut off the whole right shoulder with the arm: Beast Man gasped as "CF" Netto jumped and kicked him on the back to have him land on the ground, hard, and skid across it: Beast Man growled and stood up.

"Damn it! What was that?"

"I told you: I've improved."

"Die! Dark Chip!"

"Like that'll save you…" "CF" Netto wasn't impressed either.

"Mwah, hah, hah!"

He picked his right arm and somehow, thanks to the effects of the "Dark Chip", he managed to place it back on its place.

"Wild Rush!"

He tried to attack with his forearms and head but "CF" Netto merely jumped into the air, flipped and landed behind him with grace: Beast Man only hit a wall and he quickly restored all components to their place before rushing for "CF" Netto.

"Jumping Claw!"

"CF" Netto merely stepped back as he predicted where Beast Man would land at and made the guy hit the floor with a loud THUD: he cursed and stood up again.

"I-impossible! Back then…!"

"Back then, back then… That was 3 years ago. What part of "I've improved" you don't get?" "CF" Netto calmly muttered.

"Fuck you!"

"I'm sure you don't even know what that means."

"Like I care! DIE~! Ra~rgh!"

"Alright. You're asking for it. Go to the Reverse Cyber World."

"CF" Netto cut off Beast Man's limbs and then his head before splitting the body into several portions: they all exploded and he calmly shrugged before walking away.

"Not like I'm a sadist or anything but… It had to be done. There: let's go back home."

"I know, Netto – kun. They had to be brought down, but… Your behavior as of late seems strange to me."

"Really? Maybe I'm just channeling out my built up anger and fear instead of thinking clearly, you mean to say, Saito – niisan?"

"Hmmm… I detect a faint EM signal close by which seems to be interfering with the chip implant but it's so subtle that it only affects the sub-conscious in a slow manner… Ring a bell?"

"Heck. The jerk… They're around here, you mean to say?"

"Right here! Mwah, hah, hah! Say hi to Twilight!"

"CF" Netto whipped around to face a Net Navi who seemed to be Yoru Yami's Net Navi form.

His form's design was highly reminiscent of Rock Man's one.

He wore a helmet with a mouth guard activated: his eyes' irises were visible and it could be seen that they were colored crimson red.

His chest emblem consisted on just two shades of black and white split by a horizontal grey line.

He had two curious shoulder pads which were shaped as two split halves of a diamond.

His main body's color was navy blue although the forearms and his boots were colored in purple.

A black smooth cape hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the floor as well as an add-on to his bodysuit.

"Twilight. So trying to mess with our minds again? I thought you were the type who didn't use a same trick twice."

"But the circumstances and goals are different so…"

"Loopholes." Saito grumbled.

"What have you done to Iris?"

"Oho. We just treat the miss to Vincent's show."

"And you tried to drive her annoyed and fed up to tell you all about Trill's abilities, right? But something tells me that didn't really work."

"Well, Watson. I'll praise you yet today. Your detective nose is sharp!"

"Save the sarcasm for you cloak. You didn't succeed." Saito snapped back while sounding sure of it.

"Who knows?"

"We do and now you can go explain to your Mistress why you failed."

"Mwah, hah, hah! So you've got some guts!"

"Isn't the rookie making you look like your turn to shine expired?"

"Ah! Ah. So you found the facility…" He looked amused by now.

"Yeah. Rather ironic." "CF" Netto simply replied.

"What's ironic?" Twilight challenged them.

"That Anaya used the title _Ice Queen_ and built that on Antarctica as if to emphasize the _grandness_ of their title." Saito calmly exposed.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Ah! So that's what this is about! The Jedi plan to take over the Republic!"

"Stop imitating Palpatine: go make your Mistress replace him. Empress of the Galactic Empire…" "CF" Netto challenged.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Good, good…"

"And we know about Opoulos."

"HEY! How do you know THAT?" He wasn't expecting that one.

"Someone approached Zero and told him. It'd seem they hadn't suspected of Opoulos until recently because there were some red herrings planted to make it believe that he was still in the FBI."

"Someone approached Zero…? But who? Not their parents… Maybe they mentioned it off-handedly to someone else…?" He began to mutter aloud and seemed to have forgotten about them.

"I dunno who they are too but I don't care. We've got a personal score to settle! Twilight!"

"_Kyoudai_! Been a while! Have you been placed in an immortal body too?"

"Oh come on. You're quoting Vamp in Act 2 when he meets Raiden again to begin with… "Been a while. You, too… Have you been placed in an immortal body too?"… "Wrong. I simply don't fear death."… I guess Vamp didn't know about that prototype cyborg body the "Patriots" came up with and placed Raiden into…"

Vadous had come in while having both swords drawn but he wasn't surprised by Twilight's smug greeting.

"Hmpf! I've got no time for you lowlife… I gotta try to figure out who could've known about Mr. Opoulos… See ya!"

His body began to glow as a blackish sphere of energy encompassed it and it became several streams which thrust into the air before vanishing: Vadous fumed under his breath.

"He copied the warp effect of "Zoanoroids"…"

"Boss. I managed to stop the signal from interfering." Dr. Lartes reported over the radio.

"Good job. Let's go back."

"I'm sorry, Vadous – san. I did something cruel without realizing it… Will that leave sequels on me?" Netto sighed.

"No. And you said it: you didn't realize it was cruel."

"It was not as cruel as the Joker, eh?" Freeze Man's voice rang out.

"Sure, sure. Wait 'till Hinoken finds you and he'll open the gates of Hell to let its flames melt you until nothing is left behind."

"Let them come anytime… Those savages will be wiped out!" Freeze Man proclaimed.

"Go battle Mr. Freeze." Vadous taunted.

"And don't come back for a while too." Saito added.

"Hmpf! Laugh while you can! _Laugh and grow fat_! Heh, heh, heh…"

"I've had enough for one morning. Let's go back already!"

17:29 PM (Honolulu Time), Tuesday July the 8th…

"… Let's check… What! Impossible…!"

Platinum had opened the door of Iris' room in the Deadly Pandora HQ and found the room empty: the bathroom door was open and the lights on to reveal she wasn't there either: he didn't notice that one of the two chairs was missing.

"The air ducts…?"

He rushed to the right wall and saw indeed that one air duct cover had been loosened and opened.

"But this island is about 150 km SSW of Honolulu… The only ship is the yacht and… Ah! The emergency boats! But then again… The seaway exit is controlled by Mike and Joe… They would've noticed any boats trying to leave unless… The manual override…?"

CRASH!

"Whack!"

Iris had suddenly appeared behind him and knocked him down by bringing the chair down into him.

_I'm fed up with wasting my time here. I used one of the knives which came with the lunches to loosen the cover and set up a fake trail. They would've eventually realized I hadn't gone that way. But I've drawn a plan and luckily they forgot one thing! I AM a Net Navi. I can alter forms and my "Copy Roid" is designed to break down into data when I aim my PET at something: the PET also does that._

She ran off the room and quickly closed it while locking it and taking the keys with her: she made her way down a corridor and reached one of the landing platforms where one of the Hind A choppers had been parked at: she quickly got onboard.

_I'll enter the Cyber World and disable the overhead hatch's circuit to the control post so that they can't close it down. And then I can use that "warp" system to skip long distances… I must aim for Japan._

"Plug In." She whispered.

She aimed her PET and her body broke down into cubical clusters of data which spun clock-wise and disappeared along with the PET.

_Success._

She formed again inside of the chopper's Cyber World while having that Navi form on and began to look.

_There!_

She ran to a Warp Point labeled "OVERHEAD ENTRY" and appeared in another Cyber World where there was a Core Block which was currently colored red: the letters "LOCKED" hovered in front of it as well but she was already studying a slightly elevated circuitry patch which headed down a recreation of the central shaft: this Cyber World was built on the north flank of the cylinder.

_That must be it… I've got an idea._

She headed for the Core Block's body and ripped off a service panel: she then split into two and formed a cutting edge: she thrust the piece into the circuitry patch: it began to frizzle.

_Now!_

She then hovered into the air and pressed her right hand into the surface of the Core Block: it changed to green and the letters "UNLOCKED" formed there.

_Quick! To the helicopter…_

She returned to the chopper and turned it on: the blades began to spin and it eventually came to full power so she lifted it up from the Cyber World: the chopper began to climb up the shaft towards the now open hatch: she spotted that a window had been opened in the control post and that someone was looking out.

"Bill! It's for real! The chopper's leaving… With no – one onboard…!"

"Impossible!"

"Check it out yourself!"

"Alright. Huh? What's with this wind and light and…? BY ALL THE… What in the…?"

_They will obviously know it was me soon enough but the "how" will elude them because they already saw that my PET was empty and they didn't bother to confiscate it because the room had carrier signal inhibitors to impede me from contacting anyone._

"Call Platinum!" Bill snapped at Mike.

"Huh? How odd. He doesn't have carrier signal." Mike was surprised at what he'd found out.

"What in the…? He went out? Find Jade!"

"Go yourself." Mike suddenly told Bill.

"Why me…?" Bill frowned.

"'Cause you're uglier."

"W-w-WHAT? Now's not a time for jokes, Mike, you MORON!"

"Fine, fine."

"T-this GUY!"

The chopper came out and began to fly away from the island.

_I'll wait to put some distance and then warp. I'll land somewhere in Japan close to Densan City and try to find those "visitors"… I've had some days to try to recall and I've finally remembered their names… Omega, Sigma, Blood Shadow… And their commander was Vadous… I'm sure that I ask about them someone will give me indications. _

"Eh… Bill? Where was Jade's office again?"

"JEEZ! Level 3! West Wing! Move your legs!"

"And move your eyebrows."

"By all the…!"

17:52 PM (Honolulu Time)…

"… Well, well, well. Another contract wrapped up… Heh, heh, heh."

"Huh…? Jade?"

"Who's there?"

"Me, Mike… I think we've got trouble…"

"I'll unlock the door."

Opoulos had been working with the laptop when Mike knocked at the door: he opened it up and Mike came in while looking slightly nervous for some reason or another.

"Well… The hatch opened alone and one Hind A flew out without anyone on board… And we can't close it either…"

"What in the… Platinum! Why didn't you contact him first?"

"We tried! But his phone's got no carrier signal."

"Weird. We set repeaters and we've got our own camouflaged antenna too… Wait. No carrier signal…? There's only one room like that! But then that would mean…? Diamond!"

He'd brought out his phone while muttering and he dialed a number to call for Diamond.

"What's up, Jade?"

"Check on the little girl's room! NOW! Your quarters are close by!"

"Huh? Well, yeah. I'll get there."

"Leave the line open: and tell me if you spot anything weird."

"Roger, roger."

"Get there ASAP!"

"I'm on my way… Aha. The door is locked…"

"Knock into it and call out for the girl!"

"Huh… Hello~? Anyone there~?" Diamond tried to ask.

"O~w… Huh… Diamond…?"

"Platinum? Oi! What have you done?" He sounded suspicious.

"T-the girl's gone!"

"What?"

"Damn it!" Opoulos gasped.

"I found the air duct open but then… Something hit me from behind and I blacked out…! Ah! The air duct…! It's a red herring! She was hidden behind the door! The clever little girl…!" He cursed.

"Heh! And they say guys are cleverer." Anaya's voice mocked close by.

"Yikes!" Diamond gasped.

"Eh… My lady…"

"Don't worry about the girl! She won't know the exact coordinates for this place anyway… She's heard Nelaus' and Isaac's names so Vadous will finally get a hold of that info… Whatever…"

"My lady! They know about Mr. Opoulos! Who could've told them?"

"W-w-WHAT? Damn it! Ah! But that won't tell them where we are either!"

"Did you talk about me to someone you knew?" Opoulos asked.

"Well… I don't remember now. It could've been some years ago… I'll have to try and see if I can recall it…" Anaya trailed off.

"Lemme outta here~!" Platinum banged the door.

"Oh my! Well… Nope! Platinum – chan! Bad boys have to be punished, you know it! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Ms. Anaya! Don't kid me!" He protested.

Opoulos and Mike rolled their eyes and sighed in defeat.

_Oh boy… How did they know about me? Who could've told them, anyway?_


	26. Chapter 26: Reunion

**Chapter 26: Reunion**

23:09 PM (Chicago Time), Tuesday July the 8th…

"… Mr. X? You called for me?"

"I did. I heard something happened at the Science Labs…"

"Oh yeah. Rock Man told me a while ago…"

"So?"

"Beast Man, Mr. X… Twilight rebuilt the whole of the Darkloids and wants to use them as pawns in a new show…"

"Hmpf… I see…"

Zero appeared inside of an open laptop in a living room which was rather unlit: the figure of a man over a meter and eighty tall could be seen standing with the light from the balcony shining behind him: the glow of the Sears Tower was visible.

"Did Mr. Vadous question your sources?"

"I told him you'd approached me and given me the info."

"And he rated it as true?"

"He got his confirmation when Twilight showed up on the scene and looked genuinely surprised that we knew. But that doesn't bring us closer to them anyway." Zero sighed.

"True."

"Well. Now that Beast Man's down there's 14 of them… And if we include the trio of Shark Man, Wood Man and Skull Man then we could form a force of about 14 or 15 Navis to fight them back… How's that?"

"Splendid. Yet… All-out could have some consequences not intended for like friendly fire or some desperate group tactic…"

"Good point. Maybe it'd be safer to tackle them separately or in groups of 3 to 4… Not unlike we did back in the winter campaign, see…"

"That sounds less risky, yes."

"By the way… Did you have some connections on the FBI to know about Opoulos?"

"I did."

"Yet… What made you suspect him? There could've been other people: that Emperor S guy thought he could be named "Kenneth Onderson" and have a totally distinct appearance too." Zero argued.

"Ah! That's because Maria once off-handedly commented to me about him before she became distant… I wouldn't be surprised if she forgot who I am to begin with… Being the selfish woman she is…" Mr. X calmly replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Alright. I'll be going back to Japan but call me if something happens: I'll come to report any big developments as well."

"Deal."

Zero left the computer and the man turned to face the landscape and clasp his hands behind his back: he sighed.

"Maria… I saw it, a lot of years ago… That lust creeping into your eyes and face… You were always the spoiled type… Your father allowed you too many things… Your mother was stricter… But you were too arrogant: you thought that a simple human like you could change the world… And you weren't changing it! You were destroying the future! Stealing the future: denying the future! You'd become but a despot. A tyrant! And Vadous with Kanou Shade made it clear that you had to be stripped of that power before it went out of control…"

He changed his pose to look towards the left of the unlit living room and seemed to be looking at something else.

"And you dragged Marco into it too and took profit of his personality to make him become your proxy… Che. But at least you've been dethroned and next time around no – one will save you. No – one will…!"

_Receive the anger and grudge of the souls you tortured and wither away!_

13:42 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew."

Iris (on her Navi form) was walking down a street in Internet City while sighing in relief.

_It'd seem they didn't mind my escape or else they'd sent young Nelaus with his super-sonic jet which had been equipped with weaponry: he visited me yesterday to try to trick me into revealing something but I didn't fall for his improvised attempt._

"… Is that you? Iris?"

"Huh? Ah! You are…!"

"Yeah. Me. Omega… I guess you remember us?"

"I do! Is Trill safe?"

Omega suddenly appeared from behind and she turned to greet him: both didn't notice Isaac looking on from close by.

"Nelaus…! Iris was a Navi!"

"By all the…!" Nelaus gasped.

"This explains why the chopper was empty! She was on its Cyber World to begin with!"

"I knew I was forgetting something!" Yoru Yami grumbled in the background and sounded exasperated.

"Well. Since you didn't see it live then… Maybe you skipped it and only focused on some things over others…" Anaya shrugged.

"Come with me: we'll bring you to our HQ and Trill is there."

"Thank you very much."

"Huh? Ah! For keeping him safe? Don't mind it! We want to protect others from harm. Sorry we weren't able to come rescue you, though…"

"Don't mind it. Let us go."

"Roger. Follow me."

They both ran away and Isaac sighed as hid in the alley.

"Now, what? They'll know about us!"

"Hmpf! No problem… How far have you gotten?"

"Huh? With the training… Well… We haven't tried Freeze Man on yet on either mode… We've gotten some experience with the "Dark Generator" of Swallow Man and Yamato Man but we still haven't tried our ground against the other two…" Nelaus reported.

"Don't worry: if it's a small exchange of abilities then you'll do fine. I'll let you out that Rock Man was never able to best Freeze Man back in 2004 when their two encounters… It took Heat Man to make him quit at first and then it took Heat Man with the "Extra Code" to seriously wound him: Shadow Man delivered the finishing blow."

"Ah! Then we're not that bad in level, are we?" Isaac smiled.

"No. Not even they have faced all of our "Darkloids"… They did face Cosmo Man last summer but they must've rather forgotten about their battle techniques and potential…"

"I like how that sounds like already." Anaya giggled.

"So it'd seem." Izono drily muttered.

"Don't be like that! You look like you expect trouble to show up."

"Which I believe it'll do nevertheless."

"Oh come on! That's being defeatist. Just because Iris – chan proved to be smarter than us when it comes to escapes that doesn't mean the world will end, right, cutie~? Tee, heh, heh."

"… That word is… outdated. Ma'am." He protested in a dignified manner while seemingly holding back his annoyance.

"Tee, heh, heh! I'm a genius. And they'll soon see why."

"I'm rather skeptical myself. I wouldn't get cocky so early… Oh boy!"

13:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Wow! So you were a Navi in the end?"

"Yes. My "Copy Roid" allows me to materialize at will."

"That's interesting… As expected of Hikari Tadashi – hakase…"

"Yeah. Guess it was to be expected from an alternate Grandpa…"

Iris (in her human form) had met with Vadous, Netto and Saito in the command bridge: Vadous looked rather interested and both twins were awed.

"Oneechan! Iris – oneechan!"

"Oh! Trill!"

Trill came running in followed by Omega: Trill jumped Iris picked him as he cried from the relief.

"It's alright, Trill. I'm here: I'm not going to leave you again."

"Trill was brave! Trill didn't cry! Trill didn't cry!"

"That's nice to hear, Trill…"

"Sorry for interrupting, you, Iris, but… Was there a young man who could be around his age partnered with a Net Navi?"

"Nelaus and Isaac?"

"Nelaus! So his name is Nelaus… And the Navi is Isaac…" Vadous lifted his eyebrows.

"Has an odd ring to it, don't you think so?" Netto ventured.

"Maybe it's a mash-up?" Saito suggested.

"Ne… laus… Wait a minute…"

"Do you have a hunch of why he was named like that?" Iris guessed as she caressed Trill's right cheek.

"Trill thinks it's cool!"

"Excuse me."

He typed some commands into the computer and activated the Firefox web browser: he headed into Google and typed a name before entering another page and using the "search" function there.

"… Aha. Match one… And the other…? Match two… Closer… Hmpf… Isn't that fitting? Guess she wanted to be ironic…"

"What's the deal?" Netto asked.

"Darth Bane: creator of the Rule of Two… Darth Plagueis… Master of the very Darth Sidious AKA Palpatine… Pick "ne" from "Bane" and "la", "u", s" from "Plagueis"… The result…? Ne-la-u-s. Nelaus."

"Whoa! She wanted to make it subtler this time around." Saito whistled in surprise.

"So he's named after two evil characters?"

"Yeah. Given how Plagueis was, without knowing it, the responsible for the birth of Anakin Skywalker… Maybe she wanted to refer to that: that he was born artificially… And the "rule of two" which Bane introduced could be down-tuned with his partnership with Isaac even though they aren't master and servant… Right?"

"No. They spoke to each other in friendly manner and seemed to consider each other to be equals…" Iris exposed.

"So if she felt like it… By using the remaining letters which are left behind after using those ones for Nelaus… "Ba", "P", "g", "ei"... Hmmm… How about… Bapgei? Or… Geibap… Or… Gapibe…" No, no. She doesn't alter the order of the letters so she'd rather pick Bapgei… Bapgei! Now talk about an eerie sound." Omega began to mutter aloud.

"Bapgei, huh? Maybe she initially planned to name Isaac like that but then decided Isaac would be a better name."

"Sure thing…"

"Bapgei? Sounds weird… Where's Uncle Sigma? Trill wants to play!"

"Sigma? Huh… I think he'd gone to updated Davis… He'll be back soon so don't worry." Omega recalled.

"MUGRO~H!" An inhuman roar rang out.

"What was _that_?" Iris gasped.

"Heck and HECK."

"_Kyoudai~_!"

"Twilight. You hacked into my transmission channels!"

"Witness!"

One of the screens, the leftmost one, turned on to display a monster somewhere in the Cyber World.

This monster's main body's shape looked strikingly similar to the Alphabet letter "T" with the base having three pale blue diamond-like formations aiming NE and NW on each side of it: four large metallic chains came out from inside of the vortex and attached to the purplish mass which was the upper body.

The thing's head had an irregular shape as it was made up of reddish mass with white patterns drawn over it: two red eyes missing any iris shone on the face while the mouth area was colored blue: giant teeth filled the open mouth which uttered inhuman roars: a thin large diamond object was set on the forehead, too.

Six needles colored blue and with a small blackish stripe near the base of them emerged from behind the shoulders: they had an eerie vibe to them and looked sharp.

The monster's hands looked more like claws than real hands: they were colored in a reddish tint all the way to the start of the forearms: two cuffs seemingly made of metal with an inner blue band and lacking chains were visible on the monster's wrists.

"Shit. The "Nebula Grey" thing you formed 3 years ago when you absorbed the "Wily Program"…!"

"Soon! Soon! Soon enough!"

"Your apprentice will be awarded the title of "Darth"?" Vadous taunted without being surprised.

"Hah! That's exactly it!"

"And you'll send him to battle Rock Man."

"I know this was predictable but… Whatever! Envoy the envoys!"

"He's quoting that "Vincent" man. They had me listen to his "home-made 100% genuine Mexican show" and I've ended up pretty annoyed with that man's randomness." Iris calmly muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Miss! You will train the "Synchronizer" to submit to your rule and only yours!"

"What in the… You villain!" She formed a grimace.

"Bad guy! Bad guy!" Trill yelled.

"Mwah, hah, hah! "Synchronizer"! Submit to her rule forever and become her toy!"

"Trill isn't a toy! The name's Trill! Trill's the name! Bad guy!"

"Hah! You can't understand yet. But in some years' time… I know you've been designed to grow and evolve! I witnessed it! How they found you as a small baby Navi who couldn't speak but, in less than 6 days, become the form you now have!" Twilight proclaimed.

"Trill doesn't care! Trill will play as Mario with Uncle Sigma!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Let terror and chaos spread forth!"

"If you mean the "Darkloids" we'll bust them just like how we did in the winter while you were away."

"Didn't you hear there'd been some trouble in Brazil?"

"I did. I already suspected you'd been there and left a trail which was a message to me to say you were alive. Now go collect lilies."

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah! Let Count Dracula rise when the 12 bells of midnight ring out and suck up your blood!"

"Shade Man won't stick out his hide so easily. And, by the way, we know that that "Didact" name you used to approach Bubble Man was taken from a game named _Halo 3_ according to Meijin. He was supposedly a great strategist which tried to battle the parasitic menace known was the "Flood" but in the end he was forced to use the 7 "Halo" rings to cleanse the galaxy of intelligent life-forms… It's mentioned on some hidden "Terminals" in the final levels which have ancient texts involving some conversations with a "Librarian"…"

"Mwah, hah, hah. You wouldn't want to meet him, though. He's got a conflicting personality!"

"Don't spoil me." Vadous grumbled.

"Like how Gauss Magnets spoils his daughter?"

"That's unrelated. Go tell them to give you guys more money."

"No! I'll tell Gauss to cross-dress like in 2004 and then Tesla will organize a month-long "countdown party" for her birthday!"

"If that's what Alternate Tesla did then I'm not surprised."

"Mwah, hah, hah! _Manzai _& _banzai_!"

"Patent it."

"Hikari Netto! Submit to Sakurai – sama~!"

"Meiru – chan isn't that type of person and she refuted you last summer to begin with. Go hack _World of Warcraft_."

"Hikari Saito! Submit to Roll – sama~!"

"Tell that to that Empress girl we had to fight in the winter." Saito dully countered with a shrug.

"Oho! I'd forgotten about that, yeah… Whatever."

"If that's all then go and give your apprentice the laurel wreath."

"Mwah, hah, hah…! I catch the irony and sarcasm there! Typical of you, _kyoudai_! But! Whatever the ever and never!"

"Patent it with a vengeance."

The line went dead and all sighed in relief: Vadous grumbled something and simply shrugged.

"Don't mind the guy. Say… You wouldn't mind living here, right? Or do you have to go back to your world?"

"No. Hikari – hakase allowed us to make our choices. He told us a world ravaged by war was no good place for the youth and told us to seek another world, this world, this "Beyondard"… We will live here: Trill gets along with you so…"

"I'm not forcing you."

"But Trill wants to have fun with the VR Simulator!"

"VR Simulator? You'll have to show it to me."

"Sure. We can customize it to recreate Mario Bros. or Star Kirby."

"So you mean he can become the character in the game?"

"Sure. And we picked very child-age games which children around his age have played or play all around the world. You made sure they were appropriate, right, Omega?"

"Sure. I just put Mario Bros. DX and the most recent Star Kirby games but I went for the Game Boy Advance ones because we're still seeking how to recreate the touch interface of the DS… Maybe we'll have to physically play with it a DS like Blood or Sigma do but… No big deal."

"Good. Then I leave that up to you. Welcome onboard. And beware of Dragon's crazy banners." He rolled his eyes.

"Dragon – san is nice! Trill will show Iris – oneechan around! YAY!"

"Well… Thank you. Let's get along as crewmates, shall we?"

Everyone formed smiles and were obviously glad with the outcome…


	27. Chapter 27: Spotted! Spy!

**Chapter 27: Spotted! Spy!**

07:39 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 11th…

"… Che. Video Man!"

"Shade Man – sama? Did you call for me?"

"I did. Now listen: I've got a mission for you."

"Command me!"

"Bubble Man's been bringing me battle data and all but I feel dissatisfied at how easily Beast Man fell. I need more info on Rock Man and those new abilities! Record them and then flee! That's an ORDER."

"Roger, Shade Man – sama."

"Speak with Bubble Man to figure out the guy's location. Don't get engrossed: just record, produce something to keep them busy for a few seconds and come back here."

"I understand, sir! I won't be as stupid as Beast Man."

"Prove it."

"Roger, sir."

Video Man had been summoned by Shade Man to be granted a mission: Video Man bowed while Shade Man was calm.

"Use these!"

He produced two "Dark Chips" and tossed them at him: Video Man picked them and grinned before warping away.

"… Sonic Blade!"

"Spark Whip!"

"I'm the strongest!"

"I'm the ultimate!"

"By damnation! Sword Man and Spark Man AGAIN?" He growled.

"Shade Man – sama." Flash Man called out through a radio link.

"Flash Man! Put some order! Tell Plant Man to stop Spark Man! Plant beats Elec!" Shade Man grumbled.

"Please leave it to me."

"Do it!"

"… Hypnosis Flash!"

"Uack! Ugh… Huh…!" Sword Man gasped and then sounded like he'd suddenly fainted.

"Rose Needle!"

"Uack! Paralysis! What the fuck are you doing?"

"Shade Man – sama ordered us to stop you." Flash Man replied.

"We're just abiding by his orders." Plant Man added.

"Wha~t?"

"Spark Man! Behave!" Shade Man growled.

"Yikes! S-Shade Man – sama! R-roger!"

"Someone split them into two rooms!"

"Leave it to us." Flash Man affirmed.

"Move it, you savage." Plant Man dully commanded.

"Says the fucking screwing jerk…!"

"Grurh… I'll remember… this!" Sword Man grumbled.

"Damn it! Twilight! You lowlife want us to destroy each other before we could think of striking you lowlifes, huh? Wait and see! We're not over yet: this is just about to begin!"

Like last time around, Cloud Man had been spying from the outside.

_Heh, heh, heh. That's what ya think but ya are but a pawn! Heh, heh, heh!_

08:02 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Wind Cutter!"

"Stop this rampage. Go home."

"Rock Man! So you showed up: as schemed!"

"Sure, sure. _Video Go Home_."

"Wha~t?"

"Blu-Ray and DVD have come to replace you."

"NO WAY~!"

"Way."

Video Man began to attack Internet City as if hoping to draw Rock Man out and he sure did it but Rock Man was unimpressed: he and Netto merely taunted Video Man.

"Damn you~! Wind Cutter!"

"Slow. My turn. Elemental Cyclone, Netto – kun!"

"Battle Chip, Elemental Cyclone! Slot In!"

"W-what's THAT?"

Rock Man began to spin around his axis as he formed air currents which drew countless green leaves into it to gain mass: the cyclone moved forward and hit Video Man several times in a row: Video Man groaned but then Rock Man landed a kick on his forehead to push him into the ground and he drew the Sigma Sword.

"W-what's that ridiculously HUGE blade?"

"The Sigma Sword. It's come to tell you you're fired."

"No way!"

Rock Man lifted it up and began to load energy into it before hitting the floor with it: the energy sent Video Man flying.

"Uwa~h!"

He landed, hard, 10 meters further south and somehow got to his feet but Rock Man had warped there and tried to hit him with the sword after loading up energy again and spinning towards the left to try to hit him with the flank.

"Tapeline! Fast Escape!"

He formed some intercrossing tapelines to hinder him as he warped and appeared right behind Rock Man.

"Wind…!"

Rock Man suddenly lifted the blade and let it fall behind him to hit Video Man's forehead and momentarily stun him: Rock Man used the window to load up further energy and hit the floor with the sword to open a crevice from which a stream of reddish energy flowed out drawing spikes as if it was a radio signal: it got a higher spike shape when it reached Video Man and inflicted burns on his body: Video Man gasped but then found Rock Man falling from the sky towards him with the sword ready: the lateral hit landed on his neck and the blow sent him flying to crash his back against one of the buildings: he groaned.

"There. Had enough?" Rock Man calmly asked.

"_Video Go Home_!" Netto grinned.

"Damn you~…! What the heck is that thing…?"

"Something you "Darkloids" will never decipher." Rock Man taunted back without being surprised or impressed.

"Wha~t?"

"And if you were expecting me to panic then think again: I've grown a lot ever since 3 years ago on the mall. Or maybe you don't remember that and how Shade Man deleted you afterwards because you'd been cooperating with "Nebula"…"

"No way! Shade Man – sama did that?" He gasped.

"I knew it: Shade Man tolerates him because he didn't remember his "betrayal" of 3 years ago." Netto muttered.

"But! I've got a new ability myself!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Playback!"

"Huh? What's that?"

"Playback! Playback! Playback! Playback!"

Video Man held his tape out and formed several copies of Rock Man with the Sigma Sword which began to grow in numbers and surrounded the original Rock Man who gasped.

"I've been recording your hide ever since the battle began! All the moves you've done until now will be repeated by them! And I can multiply them to the infinity too! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"… Video copies… Netto – kun! Heavy Shake & Elec Sword!"

"Roger! Battle Chip, Heavy Shake!"

"What are you gonna do? HMPF! Whatever you do is… USELESS!"

Rock Man simply placed the Heavy Shake on the ground and jumped atop it while the copy Rock Men began to try to hit him with their imitation Sigma Swords but failed.

"Battle Chip, Elec Sword!"

Rock Man hit the Heavy Shake with the Elec Sword and an expanding magnetic shockwave wiped out the whole of the copies: Rock Man calmly looked up.

"I got told by Omega that Twilight once produced "gelatin soldiers" using this ability and how he defeated them so I remembered. Video-tape is extremely weak to magnetism in case you'd forgotten." Rock Man told Video Man with a challenging glare.

"Oh heck! Shade Man – sama will have my neck!"

"It ain't our concern."

"Hmpf! Did you know what? I've invented a motto!"

"What motto?"

"… "Spotted! Spy!"…"

"That's a joke taken from _Pocket Monsters_: there's a different theme for each type of trainer which spots you. And you claim of having invented "spy" trainer class." Rock Man wasn't impressed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Oh by Lucifer and Zeus! Didact – dono!"

"What! Twilight? Where?"

Rock Man glanced around but Video Man sneered and warped away: Netto grumbled and Rock Man shrugged.

"Guess he only wanted the battle data but that'll teach Shade Man that we won't make it easy unlike back then."

"Sure."

"Mwah, hah, hah. So! You're about to date Bloody~ Shadowy~?"

"Sigma. Stop babbling nonsense in public."

Rock Man fumed as Sigma showed up behind him while grinning and kidding as usual: he landed back into the ground.

"SIGMA! MESSING UP THIS EARLY ON THE MORNING?" Vadous snapped over his radio band.

"Huh! Boss! Eh… Well… No, not really, but…"

"Get moving and try to find any more data on the Hind "A" the Net Police confiscated! We need to try to get an idea of the island's location: "110 km SSW of Honolulu" and "volcanic island" don't suffice because there are a lot like them in a 30 km radius!" Vadous ordered.

"Roger… Man. Nobody's in the mood for some jokes today or WHAT?"

"Don't ask me! Just move it and NOW. The sooner the better! Sigma!"

13:40 PM (Honolulu Time), Thursday July the 10th…

"… Program Advance! Here we go~!"

"Oh yeah! Program Advance!"

"Flame Punch, Triple Slot In!"

"Flame Hook!"

"Hmpf! Diamond Shield!"

"Oh crap!"

Isaac was training with Freeze Man: he tried to attack him with a Program Advance but he suddenly formed a transparent round shield with his crest imprinted on its center: the attack on it only made Isaac bounce off and he had to recoil.

"Diamond Blade!"

He formed a sword which had a transparent blade with countless particles shining inside of it: grinning, he quickly ran forward while Isaac formed a Long Blade and a Wide Blade to block the assault: Freeze Man cut through them and aimed the sword at his neck.

"So?"

"Area Steal!"

"Classical." He amusedly muttered.

Isaac tried to attack with the earlier Program Advance but, when he hit Freeze Man, he only broke an ice sculpture which seemed to have been using some optical effect to pass off as Freeze Man: Isaac wasn't surprised and quickly formed a Met Guard shield to try to block off Freeze Man's new attack from behind: Freeze Man cut through it and hit Isaac only for a cloud of smoke to ensue: a _chibi_ doll dropped into the ground and Isaac bombarded Freeze Man with as much as 10 _shuriken_ shot one after the other without breaks: Freeze Man groaned and collapsed into the ground while Isaac formed the earlier Program Advance: he hit Freeze Man's back and opened a wound there but Freeze Man simply stood up.

"Heh, heh, heh. Were it so easy!"

"Huh? What?" Nelaus wondered.

"Crap!"

Freeze Man suddenly thrust his blade backwards and cut through Isaac's right hip to hit the Navi flesh beneath it: Isaac winced but suppressed his exhale of pain: Freeze Man then formed a prism of ice around him with several spikes protruding out of it: they shot out and began to bounce on the ground and in the air against invisible obstacles: they formed a cage of spires moving everywhere and greatly limiting the range of Isaac's movements: Freeze Man then turned around and drew a bluish circle beneath Isaac.

"Ice Stage!"

A pillar of solid ice rose into the "sky" and Isaac gasped when it stopped 10 meters over ground level: it suddenly became but steam and he began to fall down.

"Ua~h!"

"Heck! Battle Chip, Air Shoes, Flame Sword! Double Slot In!"

The Air Shoes slowed down his fall and Isaac quickly drew a Flame Sword as Freeze Man showed up in front of him and tried to punch him with his right punch: Isaac swung the Flame Sword and cut off the right hand but Freeze Man quickly regenerated it up again.

"Were it so easy." He challenged.

"Heck. No wonder he's the Field Commander. Cosmo Man was strong but this guy…!" Nelaus whistled.

"Don't give it up yet."

"Roger!"

"Come!"

"Alright, _Danna_!"

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Corn Shot, Triple Slot In!"

"Corn Party!"

"Diamond Shield! Huh? What!"

Isaac surprised Freeze Man by aiming towards the sky first but then he suddenly jumped into the ground and shot it at his legs: the consecutive 16 explosions which damaged his legs momentarily stunned him: Isaac dropped from above and hit his right shoulder with an Elec Sword: Freeze Man growled as he got electrocuted and collapsed: Isaac jumped away and remained in a fighting stance while Freeze Man tried to get back to his feet yet he lost balance and collapsed.

"Huh…! That was a splendid battle, Isaac…! I hadn't had one in a very long time… Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled.

"Whoa. We won… And this was what, the 5th attempt? We always fell short at some point or another… That Diamond Blade sure is terrific for any opponent…" Nelaus whistled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… And if you've come this far… Then… Those guys will run into trouble when they have to face you…"

"Really? The Net Police, you mean?"

"Yes… We purposely made the rebuilt Darkloids weaker to give them a sense of confidence and of quick victory: they'll be confident in settling it in one or two blows but… Then they will know they've run into trouble and that they'll have to rebuild all of their strategies."

"Cool." Isaac grinned.

"You really think on ahead!"

"Of course: that's how plans are made. By thinking on ahead…!"

"I saw it too. Very impressive. You two. You're rather worthy of the title."

"What title, Twilight – _senpai_?"

"The title of "Darth"…" He sneered.

"Well. I don't know what that is but it sounds cool." Nelaus seemed to grin in the real world.

"Soon enough those "Darkloids" will have fulfilled their roles… Let them go as wild as they want and be deleted in a foolish manner… They are but Cyber World residues… Heh, heh, heh."

"Residual Man strikes from the NNE!" Anaya's voice rang out.

"My lady…! That was… it wasn't fun!" Yoru Yami complained.

"Tee, heh, heh. So the outdated Count Dracula will be told to go collect lilies and built a lilies castle~?"

"That wasn't original or funny either." Nelaus muttered.

"Maybe this will do? "Fry frying"… Tee, heh, heh."

"Vincent's mottoes are stupid to begin with." Isaac groaned.

"But the little Miss withstood them perfectly… Tee, heh, heh."

"We knew that, my lady."

"Alright! Send those guys to cause some turmoil and then provoke Shade Man into attacking Vadous… Let's see what they'll do this time around with the guy: maybe they'll finally delete them."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he thought that'd be the faster way to end the "conflict"… I'll take care of spreading the incentive to operate alone to the "Darkloids" and incite them to hit some targets…" Yoru Yami thought aloud and trailed off as if thinking.

"Target a targeting target!"

"That wasn't original either…" Freeze Man complained.

"You know Anaya – sama. When she gets in the mood then… Trouble."

_Well! Soon Nelaus and I will be able to test those guys… Heh, heh, heh!_


	28. Chapter 28: Cheap Darkloids

**Chapter 28: Cheap Darkloids**

10:03 AM (Japan Time), Friday July the 11th…

"… Mugro~h… I feel bored!"

"Same thin' over 'ere…"

"Star Man! Don't you have some plan in mind?"

"Hmmm…"

Desert Man was grumbling aloud inside of the "Darkloid" castle when Star Man walked up to him while looking bored or without ideas: they failed to spot Swallow Man hiding close by and grinning.

"What are the others going to do?"

"Dunno. But Shade Man – sama is… too cautious. Going all out would do fine and we'd hit them hard… There are few defenders out there to begin with and we'd have numerical advantage… We could try to form a trap for them too… I've heard of a guy who is supposedly very hard to beat: we could try them out by materializing." He exposed.

"I like that better!"

"… Uack! Sword Man! You hit me AGAIN!"

"I didn't. Go electrocute your ego."

"Spark Man and Sword Man…?" Star Man sighed.

"Hah! What a bunch of fools! I'm cleverer!"

"Guess that if the others are always seeking to start a fight… How the mighty have fallen, huh? I wonder if that "Didact" guy Bubble Man babbled about did this in purpose."

"Wha~t? They rebuilt us like this to have us fight each other and they weakened us in purpose?"

"Feels like it: they must want to make those guys think their club is a weak as us and when they face each other they'll be pulverized."

"I won't accept that! By damnation and Gobi!" Desert Man growled and looked like he was getting annoyed.

"That's why I said to go out and give those guys a surprise." Star Man insisted.

_Yeah… Go out and fail: when Shade Man gets pissed off then "Subspace" guys will finish the guy off and then we'll go for the real stuff… But they're not idiotic: they'll realize the point of the whole deal, anyway…_

"Let's go, then!"

"Sure. Wait a min: I'll look up info on the guys and where we can find them at… Tee, heh, heh. It's going to be a sandy and starry morning for them, I'd rather say!"

"Got it?"

"Sure. Follow me!"

"Mwroh, hoh, hoh, hoh! Let's go~! I'm immortal!"

Both guys warped out while Swallow Man rubbed his hands in excitement as if he'd been wishing for that to happen.

_Heh, heh, heh… And now let's leave the others as they are… But then I'll have Burner Man incite them to "smash them all and make them realize Shade Man – sama's might"… Even Flash Man and Plant Man will be drawn into the deal… They'll go pick their targets… These guys are about to have a very busy morning indeed!_

"… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Uack! Grah! Gruh! Stop using me to train your abilities, Gravity Man!" A voice growled.

"Unit Bowl Man is powerless. Powerless."

"Says the robot freak…!"

"Escaping from the Gravitational Hell is impossible."

_Heh, heh, heh. All's going as planned… Glory to Twilight – sama's wisdom!_

10:29 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright, Patrick… This new database thing is really smooth and quick: you and the others have done a good job!"

"Thanks, Charles."

"Database Love Man will date you, Charlie~ Team?"

"What in the… Go study Iapetus with the Monolith, Dave!"

"Mr. Leo wants his Snatch Machine back with a vengeance."

"Mr. Smith wants you to fix his laser doomsday weapon!"

"Davis… Was that really necessary?"

"He was getting cocky."

"I don't think so…"

Charles had been working with a computer inside of a small office room in the "Justice Council" building while chatting with Nokay: Davis (materialized) had been leaning against the window behind and began to joke: Charles got annoyed and turned the chair around to face him: Nokay didn't seem to find a point to the jokes.

"Mugro~h…"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Huh? What was that?" Nokay wondered.

The building rumbled and a "Dimensional Area" formed: Davis opened the window to see Desert Man and Star Man forming outside.

"Lion Head!"

"Meteors!"

"Hell! The rebuilt Darkloids! Vadous told us about them!"

"They want a fight: they'll have one! Our special abilities should help turn the tide around… Let's have them hit each other!"

"Be careful, you two!" Nokay warned.

"Sure! Let's go!"

"Ou!"

Davis aimed his forearms at the PET and shot an IR laser: a "Copy Roid" was left behind and Charles took out a "Synchro Chip" from his coat's right pocket.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Whoa!"

Nokay blocked his eyes so as to not to be affected by the bright sphere of energy: it soon dimmed.

"OK! "CF" Charles comes to the rescue!"

"CF" Charles' design included red boots and forearms along with brown chest armor which had a golden cross set on the middle of it: matrixes of on/off squares colored green and blue spread across his forearms and legs.

His helmet's forehead had a blue hexagon-shaped jewel set on its center which was glowing with a pale sapphire glow while his eyes' irises were blue: a mouth-guard having an outer golden edge and a main silver body formed over his mouth.

A backpack with two exhaust tubes colored silver and golden materialized and attached to his back while extending four red lines arching over his body and creating a bluish ring around the chest emblem with four small black rectangles having a red dot on their center.

He had some extra armor coiling around his right arm too and he wielded a saber identical to Omega's but colored blue instead.

"Let's go!"

He opened the window and dropped outside: the two Darkloids immediately focused their attention on him.

"So you showed up… Heavy Sand! Ant Holes! Great Lion Head! Delete~!"

"Meteors!"

"Heh!"

"CF" Charles merely formed a tall black slab about two meters tall and with some thickness: the front of it vanished and he stepped into blackness before the front regenerated: the Ant Hole didn't manage to form beneath it and formed 7 meters NNW instead and the Heavy Sand landed 5 meters SSE too: the Great Lion Head circled around it like mad and finally hit Star Man: his Meteors had been diverted and some had hit Desert Man instead.

"Star Man! You lowlife!"

"Oi! It's not my fault! That thing is deflecting the attacks!"

"No! You want to get all the glory! Great Lion Head!"

"Ah! So you wanted to use me and then get the glory too! Meteors!"

"How stupid." Nokay muttered as he looked from the office.

"Not enough? Heavy Sand!"

"Che! Shooting Star Shower!"

"And those two are hiding inside of the shelter the "Monolith" is: he'll simply let them destroy each other." Nokay grinned.

"Not… enough… to beat me! Lion… Head!"

"C-che! Damn this guy! Meteors!"

Star Man's meteors inflicted further wounds to Desert Man and his Lion Head did the same to Star Man: both had rather worse wounds which were expanding quickly but they didn't seem to notice.

"What damned pieces of rubbish! Be gone! Delete~!" Yoru Yami's voice echoed.

Both "Darkloids" roared as their bodies broke down into raw data and then vanished altogether: "CF" Charles came out of the "Monolith" and sighed in defeat.

"Too bad we didn't get to hit them."

"What'll be next?" Davis wondered.

"Chaos! Across the world…!"

"Chaos Girl will come steal your wig." Charles taunted.

"By all the…! You damned interlopers!"

"That's our motto!" Davis taunted back.

"Hah! Whatever! My young Manipular and his Ancilla will soon come and sweep the ground with you lowlifes on it! And there's no need to try to search those words: they don't exist yet! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"I dunno where'd he got them from but he means that Nelaus guy and that Isaac Navi…" Charles merely muttered.

"Guess he picked them from some future game."

"I've got some toys for you lowlifes!"

Some puddles of the silver liquid formed and the "soldiers" rose up to try to attack them: "CF" Charles cursed and drew his blade to try to strike back at them.

"Damn it. These idiots!"

"They look like _Biohazard_ rip-offs if you want my opinion."

"Heh! Then next time around I'll bring the Tyrant units out and they'll crush you to death! They'll destroy all obstacles! They'll bring fear and chaos to this filthy world! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Die already! You herd of freaks!"

"CF" Charles spun around and sliced several of them into pieces but they crawled to form a puddle from which 4 more enemies spawned: "CF" Charles growled and formed a golden-colored Hell's Burner.

"Justice Burner!"

"Nothing better than fire to dispose of plagues… Burn away already! Shit!"

11:41 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Bubble Man! Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Y-yes, Shade Man – sama! Puku! I remember the path that black jerk did when getting in and out! Puku!"

"Grrr! These lowlifes suddenly showed up on the castle basement and beat Sword Man, Gravity Man and Bright Man before fleeing! Before we'd recovered more came! Flash Man was right! Damn it!"

"That's why we'll go smash them! De puku!"

Shade Man was making his way across some spot in the Cyber World along with Bubble Man: he looked pretty pissed off and was rambling aloud the reason.

"Yeah! De puku! The others were Rock Man, Search Man, Blues, Prism Man and Shadow Man! Those jerks took out Video Man, Flash Man, Plant Man, Bowl Man and Cold Man!"

"Desert Man, Start Man and Beast Man were deleted before too! We'd lost 3 to begin with, lost another 3 and now 5! 11 down! The only ones left would be… Spark Man, Burner Man, you and I! And those two suddenly left without saying anything! Damn it! Twilight fooled us: you shouldn't have listened to them!"

"B-but, Shade Man – sama! Puku! I alone couldn't break that tomb no matter how many tricks I used or how many corrupted Navis I tried to use on it! Puku!" Bubble Man pleaded.

"You should've tried harder! Like when you failed to get the safe with the "rare metal"!" He snapped back.

"T-that was…"

"Silence! Is this the right way?"

"Y-yeah, we should be less than 2 minutes away… Puku…" Bubble Man gulped and looked panicked by now.

"Huh? I hear something!"

"… Yeah. Zero took out Spark Man 3 minutes ago… Thunder Man got Burner Man 7 minutes ago too… Only Shade Man and Bubble Man should be left by now, Boss…"

"Good, Omega. I'm fed up with the jerk's "show mania"… Let's end this farce already: I want the real stuff to begin."

"There! Puku…! Beyond that Warp Point… Inside of the store…!"

"Let's go!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Mugro~h!"

"W-what's THAT?"

"PUKU~!"

"Nebula Grey" and some kind of flat irregular-disk-shaped "face" made of purple energy formed in front of them blocking the way between them and a cyber building: the "face" had the shape of eyes and a nose plus a thin line which was the mouth but it didn't depict any facial traits: it looked like a simplistic attempt at forming a face like last time around.

"I am Nebula Grey~!"

"Wrong! Puku! That's the "Didact", de puku!"

"Hah! My name is Twilight! And the Darkloid Age is but a foolish dream to begin with! Let your kindred be erased from the Cyber World: the new-gen Cybernetic Species will rule the Earth instead!"

"You lowlife… You used us!"

"Twice! First I used you lowlifes' "alternates" and did get to rule over them until they were dispatched off… At least your "alternate" had a greater ending than you lowlife… Heh, heh, heh."

"What are you babbling about?" Shade Man grumbled.

"You don't need to understand or realize! You lowlifes will be swallowed by the infinite and unending Time-Space!"

"Crush Noise!"

"Useless!"

A white "crack" suddenly formed on the middle of the space and grew: its insides were made of white energy and some dancing patterns of shifting rainbow colors began to form around them.

"Puku! The clock's gone mad!" Bubble Man gasped.

"Impossible! What's that?"

"A "Fossa Ambience"! It's set at random and it's unstable: once you cross then you can't return! Let Fate decide what will happen to you lowlifes like it did with those fools 3 years ago~! Be swallowed!"

"PUKU~!"

"MUGRO~H!"

Air began to be sucked up inside of the thing and so were Bubble Man and Shade Man: both yelped in fear before vanishing into the depths of the "Fossa Ambience" which slowly closed and vanished with a bright flash of white energy: the weird special effect vanished as well.

"Mwah, hah, hah! And so the mighty have fallen! Let them be subject to the will of Time-Space!" Twilight laughed.

"You again! What have you done this time around?"

Omega ran out of the building with the saber drawn and faced the "monster" which seemed to form a grin even.

"Hah! I thrust those two into the depths of Time-Space! The little show is over already: stretching it would've BORED the guys out there WATCHING THE TV… Mwah, hah, hah…"

"What guys watching the TV?" Omega grumbled.

"Dunno! _Kyoudai_~!"

"Ya called? Knock at the door firstly. State your purpose." Vadous dully answered.

"Hah! Trying to play _cool guy_: I can see that! But that won't save you!"

"You'll send the neophyte for us first?"

"Nah! That would be suicide. They're not rookies but that red guy over there would be too much for them! I'll send them against the Skywalker duet! Mwah, hah, hah! Get the message or do I need to translate it into German?" He taunted.

"Oh come on. I knew already that you'd send them to have a Net Battle with the twins. Let them come. We won't be caught with the pants down if that's what you were aiming for."

"No! I was aiming to quit around with the games and get this show to boil and steam! The audience must've felt like we were stretching it all! Public nowadays don't have patience!"

"Oh yeah? And Marias has had patience or she's gone to torture someone already by now? It's been almost a month ever since you guys allowed them to escape from the jail." Vadous wasn't surprised.

"Hah! IQ – sama has a reputation to keep and thus they've had enough with staying on the base. They've decided to keep a low profile and not take unnecessary risks! Heh, heh, heh."

"How clever of the bitch..." Omega taunted.

"DAMN YOU~! YOU DAMNED PLEBEIAN!"

"There: you just proved your own weakness. Next time I'll bring a sunlight generator and vanquish you like you were a vampire."

"Hmpf! You will try… But you will die trying as a fool! _Fool killer_!" Twilight smugly shot back.

The "monster" and the "face" vanished but Omega didn't even beat an eyebrow at what had happened.

"Sure, sure. Let you neophyte come: we'll see if he's made of cheap alloys to begin with or not." He muttered aloud.

"Well. The "Darkloids" are done for this time around. Let's rest a bit."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll try _MGS4_ in some higher difficulty… _It's gaming time_!"


	29. Chapter 29: First encounter

**Chapter 29: First encounter**

10:50 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 12th…

"… Yo. Good news."

"Ah! Omega."

"What's the good news?"

"The Darkloids: they're ALL gone. Decimated."

"You beat Shade Man too?"

"Well… Not exactly."

Omega showed up in Netto and Saito's computer while looking slightly good-humored: they both whistled in surprise and when Netto formulated the question he trailed off.

"The jerk wanted them to have a "dramatic" final and had a crack of Time-Space, a "Fossa Ambience", suck them in. There's no way of knowing what will happen to them." Omega sighed.

"So then…? That of 3 years ago with Forte and Shirakami…?" Saito seemed to suspect something.

"I don't think so: back then he was pretty much obsessed with trying to make them become his "heirs" so… It was an accident."

"Ah. So he's gonna have those two face us next?"

"Sure. But we dunno when. It could be today even. Maybe he's aiming for an initial exchange of attacks to assess each other… The real deal could come later on once he's processed the battle data and tried to analyze the strongest and weakest points…"

"It's not a crazy idea." Blood Shadow muttered.

"Meh! They need to read Dragon's banners."

"Sigma. Don't start meddling around again and beware of your loose tongue: we don't want people to get the wrong idea about us."

"Yikes! R-roger, Commander Omega."

"Crave a craving crave~!"

"What?"

Omega drew his saber and spotted a Program – kun hovering towards them while having a weird grin on its face plus singing some weird and silly tune.

"I have a message for Rock Man – sama! De masu samu!"

"It's been hacked but… Who cares? Give us the message." Omega fumed and stored the weapon.

"Roger, de musa!"

"Oh come on… Twilight thought he was being funny when he hacked this guy, huh?" Netto grumbled.

"Sure thing…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"Message! De suma! "The Crime Alley's ghosts are waiting to tackle you, cowboy! Go tackle them!"… Se duma!" The Program – kun read while that creepy smile remained there.

"Crime Alley? Cowboy?" Saito groaned.

"Guess he means somewhere in Internet City… Maybe some side-street somewhere…" Omega tried to deduce.

"The Neophyte will bring your head in a silver platter! Se muda!"

"Sure, sure. "He's moving"… Moving as if in moving out of your residence and into other… I dunno if he's intending to make a pun or not this time around…"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Harley Queen and Mr. J will bathe you in acids 'till your skin becomes white, your hair green and your lips purple!"

"He means the "Joker" from Bat-man…"

"… And this is the end of the prelude! Bang and boom and crash!"

"Sigma."

Sigma simply stepped forward and shielded them as the Program – kun blew up: he shrugged and began to repair the crater.

"What a sadist." Netto grumbled.

"Yeah. He's gotta be emulating suicide bombers."

"Well. What are we waiting for? Let's go tell them what we think of their antiques already." Omega rallied.

"We'll provide cover." Blood Shadow assured.

"OK."

"Let's do it already."

Saito stood up and walked over to the bed: he got face-up there and Netto brought his Link PET close to him: the IR laser came out of the right eye and his eyes closed: Rock Man appeared inside of the PET and stretched as Netto checked his Battle Chip Folder.

"Let's go! Old times' style! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Netto aimed the PET at the computer and Rock Man got into the Cyber World: he merely practiced some push-ups as if to get warmed up before he walked at the firewall: an opening formed and both Sigma and Omega came out but Blood Shadow remained behind most likely for additional protection.

"Alright. We're at Internet City. Let's try asking Number Man if he's seen anything weird as of late." Rock Man suggested.

"Sure. He's got his store so he obviously is up-to-date with rumors and news of the district…"

"And he's up-to-date with strategies to make Higure Yamitarou land back on Earth from the upper troposphere~! Mwah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah."

"Could be." Omega drily muttered.

"Man. Nobody is in the mood today either… Not my luck day, by Jove!"

"Just stay quiet." Blood Shadow told him over the radio.

"So! You and Hikari are gonna…?"

"NO!" Both Netto and he protested.

"Sigma. You're aiming to piss me off in purpose?" Omega hissed in an icy tone of voice which barely concealed his anger.

"Huh! N-no, Commander Omega!"

"THEN SHUT UP AND WALK! WALK! WALK!"

"R-roger, sir… Man."

"I'll come in: too many people could make Number Man feel nervous and think you're in a rush to buy something." Rock Man announced.

"Alright."

Rock Man stepped into the store and found Number Man in the midst of a discussion with Higure.

"…let it be the last time you do that! Yamitarou!"

"De masu! I'll write a poem for Mariko – sensei but firstly I must prove my literate knowledge! De masu!"

"What babbling nonsense is THAT?" Number Man was getting annoyed.

"My unrestrained imagination…! De masu!" He grinned.

"GRHTXKT!" He growled something undecipherable.

"What was that, de masu?"

"NOTHING! BROOM THE STORE! IF MARIKO – SENSEI SEES DUST SHE WON'T EVER STEP INSIDE~!" Number Man yelled.

"Ya~h! De masu! No way! The broom! Shuuko – chan: give me the broom or else mayhem will ensue! DE MASU~!"

"Huh… Roger…" Shuuko timidly muttered.

"Pyrurururu?" Aqua Man, behind the counter, wondered.

"HUFF! About algebraic time! Oh! Rock Man. Welcome."

"Thanks, Number Man. Say… Have you heard anything about a "Crime Alley" which is supposed to be somewhere in Internet City?"

"Someone sprayed that name in Street 4D13… This store is 4C30 and the adjacent street is 4D01 so… You must go south for 12 streets and you'll find it: they painted a cowboy's hat in the wall too using some kind of spray…" He rubbed his chin.

"How original." Omega (on the outside) muttered as he heard in with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mwah, hah, hah. They believe Lucky Luke came to round them up like they were the Dalton Brothers."

"Kir Osh told me, yeah… Some cowboy supposedly faster than his shadow even…" Omega calmly replied.

"Thanks a lot, Number Man."

"Don't mind it, Rock Man. Be careful!"

"Let's go, guys."

"Go and go goes the going go!"

"SIGMA~!" Omega ran out of patience.

"YIKES!"

"Act like a MAN! AND NOT LIKE SOME BULLY~!"

"R-roger, Commander Omega."

"Jeez." Netto, Rock Man and Blood Shadow sighed.

The group walked down the streets and they reached the alley indicated with number which had red blood letters on the left wall which read "CRIME ALLEY" and there was a cowboy hat drawn underneath that as well yet the alley was devoid of suspicious objects or figures.

"Sigma. Broom it up."

"Roger! Demon Fire!"

His eyes shone and he shot two continuous red lasers which swept the length of the alley's ground and then climbed up: nothing invisible seemed to be hit by the lasers and the cages they formed by bouncing around the walls.

"My turn… Flash-bang Grenade!"

Omega tossed one inside of the alley and nothing happened either: Rock Man suddenly formed the Sigma Sword, lifted it, and let it drop and hit the floor behind him to produce a shockwave which travelled across the street and collided with something.

"Oof!"

"Ah! As expected of a Sith." Omega calmly muttered.

He ran forward, warped and grabbed the silhouette to throw them into the air: his blade began to frizzle with electricity and he hit the spot where the right shoulder would be at: Isaac's stealth camouflage got overloaded and he dropped into the ground.

"Hum. So Maria wanted you to have a grand look, huh?"

"Che. Whatever! Rock Man! This is between you and ME!" Isaac fumed and signaled Rock Man.

"Where's your Master?" Rock Man questioned.

"Twilight – sama?" Isaac guessed.

"No. Not that guy."

"Nelaus? He's just by pal."

"Oh really… Then he's not living up to his name, is he?" Rock Man calmly taunted back.

"Why? Is there something on his name?" He frowned.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Anaya didn't tell ya? Ya were gonna be named "Bapgei" but she then decided to use "Isaac"…?" Sigma grinned.

"What's this chat about my name?"

Nelaus opened his screen but since he had the helmet on his eyes and his hair were hidden by it: he looked surprised.

"So you're Nelaus." Netto calmly muttered.

"Yeah, Hikari Netto! The guy who'll overcome ya…"

"Try overcoming the reasoning behind your name." Rock Man challenged next.

"What's this whole talk about?" He grumbled.

"Your name is derived from two fictional characters: just like Boss."

"What? Vadous is derived from fictional characters?"

"Twilight or Maria… They haven't brought the name _Star Wars_ up?"

"No. I'd remember that name."

"Hmpf. Maybe they thought you'd realize how little they regard you when you found out about that… That's what happened to Boss: he realized that his name had been a mockery from the start."

"My name's a mockery? No way! You gotta be kidding me! There's no way they'd laugh at me!" Nelaus gasped.

"Enough chit-chat! Elemental Cannon!"

"What?"

Isaac's right forearm got greenish armor over it, his left forearm formed red armor, his right boot gained extra bluish armor and the left boot was strengthened by yellow armor: energy flew out of each and formed a white spheroid: Isaac then pushed it forward and it became a beam of energy which expanded as it flew across the space and hit Rock Man fully because he hadn't had time to prepare a defense: the attack did propel him across the alley and into the wall of a nearby building: he groaned and managed to break free, panting.

"W-what was THAT?" Nelaus gasped.

"Heh! A built-in ability which has grown in strength every time we used the "Elemental Sword" Program Advance…"

"Wow."

"Che. So he's got techniques which are dormant but get awakened via Program Advances…"

"Huff! That won't be enough." Rock Man ran back into the fray.

"What! He can still run?" Isaac gasped.

"Sigma Sword! Hra~h!"

Rock Man lifted it and built energy on it before hitting the floor with it and forming a shockwave of reddish energy: a beam shot skywards from the center of it and encompassed Isaac to inflict continuous damage: Isaac roared and began to close his body: a shell of white energy formed around him and all energy began to coil around its mass.

"No good. He wants to shoot it back!" Sigma gasped.

"Battle Chip, Monolith! Slot In!"

The Monolith formed just as Isaac shot all energy forward in the form of a red beam: but the beam broke into several when it still was about 30 cm away from the Monolith and began to bounce at random in a mad manner: they suddenly flew towards Isaac and past him so several of hit him before others bounced off a Curse Shield behind him and hit his back next: Isaac growled and collapsed to the ground.

"Damn it! What the heck is that black thing? It's got some kind of distortion field around it!" Isaac grumbled.

"No wonder. It's inspired by an artifact which could serve as an automated super-computer capable of resisting millions of years and act as a "star gate" of different Time-Spaces…" Omega let out.

"I guess this first encounter isn't going good enough." Nelaus muttered with a hint of defeat.

"It's not over yet! Ring Wave!"

"Where the heck did you get all of those and why didn't you use them in the training?" Nelaus asked.

"They've just activated! I guess something in my programming was designed to keep them dormant until the time came!" Isaac grinned and looked cocky.

"Hmpf. Maria wants to be dramatic."

"Battle Chip, Thunderbolt Blade! Slot In!"

"Thunderbolt… BLADE~!"

Rock Man drew a sword with a metallic gray hilt yet its body was made of yellow energy shaped like a thunderbolt: he swung it left and right and right and left twice to hit Isaac before bringing it down into the floor and making a thunderbolt rain down on the guy.

"Gruh! No! No Recovery Chips, Nelaus! I'll fight to the end!"

"But don't get deleted!"

"Hah! These guys are too soft: you know what they told us!"

"You're the soft guys who don't want to face the cruel reality outside of the "battlements"…" Omega merely muttered.

"Shaddup! I can still fight! Let's go! Return Damage!" Isaac shot back with some annoyance.

"A Muramasa equivalent…?" Sigma guessed.

"Surely." Rock Man calmly muttered.

Isaac began to glow with purplish light before he formed a streak of purple-colored electricity headed for Rock Man but he merely jumped and plunged the Sigma Sword into the ground before using it to further jump into the air: the Sigma Sword absorbed the attack and acted as a lightning rod to cancel it while Rock Man flew.

"Battle Chip, Elemental Cyclone! Slot In!" Netto announced the move.

"Let's go!"

"What!"

Rock Man formed the cyclone and drew Isaac in: he formed the Mega Guts Punch and began to deliver some blows to him while Isaac growled and formed a Super Vulcan to try to shoot back at Rock Man but the Mega Guts Punch could deflect the rounds.

"I-impossible! I could overcome Freeze Man in battle and I didn't have any of these techniques ready yet!" He uttered.

"You've come too over-confident. I just expected you to pour out some demonstrations and save up the best for another day. I was ready to take in anything and not let it stop me. 3 years of VR Training have helped me evolve from my previous sloppy style." Rock Man calmly told him.

"Che! Rock Man! This won't end here or now!"

"Of course: I said it before… You're here to demonstrate what you can do but the real clash is still to come in another day."

"CHE! Enough of this farce! Revenge Bomb!"

He formed a metallic spheroid with a LED display on its middle and set it to 5 seconds before throwing it at Rock Man but he merely caught it with the Mega Guts Punch and detached it to kick it away: the bomb exploded in mid-air and did no damage while Rock Man summoned a copy of Roll which hit the opponent with the ribbons on the forehead and sucked off some HP to give it to Rock Man.

"Starting to lose some confidence, Isaac?"

"Damn it! My fate is to overcome you! I'll overcome you!"

"Try overcoming the _Three Musketeers_ next then." He challenged.

"Enough! Isaac! Tactical withdrawal!" Yoru Yami commanded.

"Che. I'll remember this! Next time I'll smash you up!"

Isaac escaped while Rock Man calmly landed on the ground and shrugged.

_Well. Come again anytime, Isaac. Mere force won't be enough to beat me!_


	30. Chapter 30: The Electric Death Match

**Chapter 30: The Electric Death Match**

15:55 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 17th…

"… Gauss – sama. The phone, sir."

"Oh! It must be the gentleman… Gauss Magnets here!"

"Mr. Magnets. It's me."

"Ah! Dr. Yoru. It's been a while!"

"Sure has. I need a little favor."

"Ask away! Heh, heh, heh."

Gauss Magnets picked up a phone and immediately got into a good mood after having been working with some documents.

"Could I "borrow" the match system of the Electel mansion?"

"Hum… Why not… Why do you need it?"

"I don't plan on moving it from there, though. I want my best agent to challenge Hikari Netto using that system like Count Elec did close to 4 years ago… And see if he'll endure it… Heh, heh, heh."

"Ah! I like the sound of it… One condition…!"

"Name it."

"Arrange so that Jack is led there too! Use Jack as bait by sending a fake email telling Hikari Netto to come over there! And then I'll go and settle the score I've been itching to settle ever since 3 years ago!"

"No problem. We'll use the "warp" tech to bring you there in a quick and immediate manner…"

"Finally…!" Magnet Man grinned.

"Where do we meet?" Gauss asked with a grin.

"Hmmm… Pick a car and get to parking lot 2 kilometers SSW of the Gauss Console buildings… There I'll pick you up… Deal?" He suggested.

"Deal! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Later, then. Call me when you reach the lot."

"Roger!"

Gauss ended the call and quickly stood up: he picked a gray coat and a hat and his PET before leaving a note.

"Tesla: I've gone off to do something important. Don't attempt to contact me unless it's a life-or-death matter. I'll be back before supper, I guess, if not I'll contact you."

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Magnet Man chuckled.

"It's time for an overwhelming entrance! Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

He ran off the office and got into an elevator: he used his key to activate it and go down into the garage where he picked a discreet red Hyundai: he climbed in and turned it on before aiming his PET at the control panel for the car.

"Plug In! Magnet Man, Transmission!"

"I'll prepare the GPS program, Gauss – sama." He announced.

"I'll be counting on you." Gauss calmly replied with a grin.

The car ignited and Gauss used his key-card to lift the exit barrier and drive out of the buildings down an avenue at an average speed.

"Hah! Wily – sama will eventually recognize that I and only I deserve his attention and his praising! That "Professor" guy was a fool to think he was more important than me! I'm the number one Wily Maniac in the whole world! Ho, ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"… Ah… No good…" Magnet Man sighed in a grim tone of voice.

"Huh? Did you say something, Magnet Man?"

"YIKES! EH… Well… No! We're close to the location, Gauss – sama!"

"Ho, ho, ho! Jack! Crave your own grave! I'm telling you your age is over!"

16:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Oi. It's me, Elec Man. I've got a message."

"Ah. Elec Man. Hand it to me."

"Sure. Later."

"He looks in a rush… Well. I better bring it to them."

Blood Shadow had met with Elec Man outside of the Hikari house firewall and gotten an envelope which obviously had an email on it: Elec Man smiled and walked away while waving good-bye in an off-handedly manner: Blood Shadow crossed the firewall and got back inside where he opened the message so that the twins could read it up.

"It's from Count Elec…" Netto muttered with some surprise.

"Huh! Wow! Look at this, Netto – kun! "Hikari Netto _and_ Rock Man! I challenge _you_ to a _rematch_ in the Electel _house_! Tell that _genius_ _guy_ to find a way to get _us_ there _quick_ and _safe_! Send me the answer at this _address_. _Count_ Elec."…" Saito read aloud with surprise.

"Did we talk him about Boss and the "gateways"?" Blood Shadow seemed to frown.

"Maybe… We could've also said that "DCs" can do that too…"

"It could've been before we met even."

"Ah. Then it makes sense. Well. I don't see any reason to refuse so write your reply and I'll dispatch it to Elec Man."

"Wait a minute, Netto – kun."

"What, Saito – niisan?"

"Doesn't it strike you at odd that he'd tell us to battle him in the mansion instead of Maha Ichiban's?" Saito brought up while frowning.

"Maybe he wants to prove if his mother's ghost exists or not…"

"What! So he says that the "woman's voice" I heard was a ghost?"

"Yeah. He says his mom died almost 15 years ago."

"And that's the reason he cross-dressed as a granny?"

"He says it was her mom's plan to cheer him up and have him defeat us to regain his passion in life…" Netto continued.

"Really…"

"He then seemed to think the whole deal was a dream or hallucination because he woke up in some ruins which he then remembered were not of the manor but a small summer hut… Madoi found him and told him Maha wanted them to gather in Namaste which they did… Remember that battle at Maha's family restaurant?"

"Yeah. And that you ate WAY TOO MUCH curry."

"Well! Namaste is the nation of curry! What was I supposed to do?"

"Try to visit tourist spots, learn about its culture…"

"Man. That'd been boring."

"And just eating and napping was enough for you?"

"Sure!" Netto grinned.

"I'm surprised you haven't ended up like Dekao – kun."

"That's because I like rollerblading and gymnastics!"

"Ah. I remember. Then the charm Gymnastic Guy gave you back then helped you to have enough energies to stand up to the challenge I'd rather say… Sorry for the delay, Blood. Just tell Count Elec we're going to meet at the warehouse in the outskirts."

"Roger."

"OK! Let's bring up an anti-Elec Folder…"

"… Put in some reserve Chips just in case too. I've got that hunch…" Saito muttered while looking he'd thought of something.

"OK! Time for a _shocking_ Net Battle! I won't make it easy for them! Heh!"

08:44 AM (London Time)…

"… _Oh yes_! _There it is_! _Home, sweet home_!"

"Obviously… Not visiting it in 4 years…"

"I wonder if anything still functions…"

"Mwah, hah, hah. The fireplace?"

"It's not crazy."

"… Ah… I've got the feeling this won't end up well…"

Count Elec excitedly ran up towards the Electel Mansion while Netto and Rock Man began muttering: Blood Shadow and Sigma (having materialized) looked at it and Sigma laughed while Blood Shadow shrugged: Elec Man sighed and seemed to fear the worse.

"_I'm home_! Hikari Netto! _Let's go! Rock 'n roll_!"

"Alright, alright."

Netto and the other made it inside of the home and headed into the living room which was very poorly lit given how the windows' blinders had been lowered but the Net Battle terminal was already there: the devices to shoot electricity seemed to have decayed, their supports collapsed and they'd shattered when hitting the floor.

"_WHA~T? OH MY GOD!_"

"Phew." Netto inwardly sighed in relief.

"… Ah… _The Crisis_…?" Saito realized.

"Yeah. I know I hold no grudge but…"

SLAM!

"Jack! Been a while~!"

"_ANIKI_?"

"By all the… Gauss Magnets?"

"Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho!"

The doors suddenly slammed shut and it turned Gauss Magnets was standing in front of them while grinning: Count Elec formed a grimace and so did Elec Man while Magnet Man sneered.

"You wanted us to bring Count Elec here?" Blood Shadow demanded as he aimed his shotgun at him.

"HEY! You weren't in the scheme!"

"What _scheme_? The one _you_ came up with after _drinking_ some _Kentucky bourbon_, _aniki_?" Count Elec taunted.

"KI~H!" He growled.

"Hah! _I knew it_! _Fight_!"

"That's what I came to do, you MORON!"

He suddenly took out his PET and instead of aiming for the central console he aimed at another set to the left of it: Netto looked at the ceiling but there didn't seem to be anything set there.

"Well. I guess we'll have to sit back and watch…" Netto muttered.

"Not like we can butt in…" Rock Man sighed.

"Mwah, hah, hah… It's become interestin'!"

"You stay quiet." Blood Shadow sighed.

"Bang! Bang! Lucky Luke!"

"YIKES!"

"Heh, heh, heh! So! I thought you'd be taller! Hikari Netto!"

A spotlight turned to illuminate the north end of the main console: Nelaus (wearing his summer clothes but having the helmet on) was standing there and grinning while holding his Link PET on the right hand: he was tossing it into the air and catching it back.

"Ah! So you're Dr. Yoru's "agent", eh?" Gauss grinned.

"Sure, _kaichou_ – _sama_."

"By all the… I see! Twilight, having been cooperating with Gauss ever since last year, wants to respect his honor and asks for his permission to use this place… And Gauss says to bring Count Elec in… The Elec Man surely was an imposter… And maybe another imposter visited Count Elec… So we both thought each one had had the idea… When we met with Count Elec he was ready because he thought WE were challenging him." Blood Shadow deduced.

"Che! Clever bothersome jerks!"

"Plug In! Isaac, Transmission!"

"Alright! You're asking for it! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!" Netto fumed and aimed the PET.

Rock Man came inside of the terminal and a sphere made of blue curved lines formed up creating a matrix and a cage to trap both of them: Isaac drew a Long Blade and a Wide Blade.

"Let's go~!"

"Battle Chip, Shirahadori! Slot In!"

"What!"

Rock Man blocked both incoming attacks and cracked the blades: Isaac suddenly grinned.

"Gotcha."

"Battle Chip, Diamond Blade! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, O – Saber! Slot In!"

Both clashed swords but they didn't yield to each other: Isaac suddenly kicked Rock Man's lower stomach and made him hit the net: an electrical discharge suddenly hit Netto.

"Ugrugra~h!" He yelped.

"Where'd that come from?" Sigma gasped.

"… Shit! These things are fakes!" Blood Shadow growled.

"D-damn it… Like I'll tell you… about… Rock Man's… trick…!" Netto was leaning on the console and panting while looking at the ground.

"Huh? I didn't say anything." Nelaus seemed to frown.

"I dunno… where the missing pieces… are at…! Look for them…!"

"Damn it. I knew it. Twilight wants to use the electrical shock to have him revive _The Crisis_…!" Blood Shadow grumbled.

"But it's not like we can interrupt the duel, right? It'd look like we're running from a fight and Twilight could use that to try to stage a smear campaign!" Sigma argued.

"You've got a point, damn it."

"Rock Man…! The HF – mode…! Cut that thing up…!" Netto managed to look up while panting and forming a grimace.

"Roger, Netto – kun!"

The blade began to hum and Rock Man quickly attacked at different angles and strength to cut the blade up: Isaac's jaw hit the floor and Rock Man delivered a kick: Isaac hit the net but the electrical discharge didn't seem to affect Nelaus.

"The helmet…! He brought it on purpose!" Blood Shadow fumed.

"Che. The "Sith" wannabe…!"

"I still dunno what "Sith" is or are but since Twiligth – _senpai_ said it's an honorific title then…"

"So he's your "senpai", huh?" Blood Shadow wasn't impressed.

"Yeah. He also called me "Raiden" once and it sounded cool."

"Ah. I see. If Boss, Twilight and Kanou Shade were Solid, Liquid and Solidus then you're Raiden…"

"W-what? What does that mean? That I'm supposed to act like him?"

"Well. I'd rather say "Raiden" is the inspiration for your existence."

"So the reason I'm blonde and I look very "macho" is because of that?"

"Well… If you don't have much of an effeminate face then… Boss doesn't exactly look like Solid, Kanou didn't resemble Solidus but Twilight shares the blonde hair with Liquid… You could look it up on YouTube or Wikipedia, you know." Blood Shadow calmly told him.

"I'd thought you'd hate me."

"Hate you? Why? The only thing you've done insofar is fight Net Battles and even if there's this trick it was Twilight's idea. You can't be blamed for anything… Unless you've harmed or killed someone…"

"Which I haven't done... So you hate Twilight – senpai?"

"No. "Hate" is a vain thing which only leads to further violence: we simply don't tolerate the guy and he's the enemy but most of the time we get slightly annoyed."

"… Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Hah! Other Dimension Gate!"

"_Ijigen no tobira_?" Sigma wondered.

Isaac formed a glowing purple round mass of energy and the Giga Cannon went inside to pop out of another right above Rock Man: he let the blast hit him and he drew a Muramasa Blade.

"You know what this is, right? Muramasa Blade~!"

"Heh! Come! And be defeated!"

"… Lightning Flare!"

"Sure kill! N – S Tackle!"

"This stupid _otouto_!"

"This idiotic _aniki_!"

"Mwah, hah, hah. The Electrical Duel Of Utter Dislike!"

"Shut up, Sigma."

"Hru~h! Strong! But not strong enough! Rock Man EXE!"

"Huff, huff… Charge… SHOT!"

"That simplistic attack won't harm me!"

Rock Man had managed to harm Isaac but the attack wasn't enough to totally weaken him: Rock Man shot a Charge Shot and it didn't contribute to inflict too much damage either.

"Mugro~h!"

"Gra~h!"

"Jack! You moron! You placed mines on the field!"

"Hah! If I can't win then _aniki_ won't win either!"

"I'll defeat you with my bare hands! I'm the new-gen Navi! Your age ended time ago, Rock Man!"

"You sound like you're trying to improve "Darkloid" boasts."

"Isaac… Don't get annoyed, man. This guy's a hero! We're still rookies and you know it." Nelaus gulped.

"Huff, huff…! Electricity and whatever…! That won't stop me! Battle Chip, Atomic Blazer! Slot In!"

Rock Man shot a powerful blast of flames which hit Isaac as he tried to reach Rock Man by running: he was forcibly retrieved and Nelaus sighed before a purple flash occurred and he vanished.

"Ki~h! I'll remember this! Let's go, Magnet Man!"

"Hah! _Aniki Go Home_!"

"Huff, huff… We won, Rock Man… Heh… I'm… the strongest… Right?"

"Yeah… If we stand united… Then we can win no matter the odds!"


	31. Chapter 31: Turmoil

**Chapter 31: Turmoil**

18:48 PM (Japan Time), Thursday July the 17th…

"… Huff. My body still tickles."

"No wonder. After that electrical thing… You're alright, Netto – kun?"

"He's harder than a rock! Mwah, hah, hah."

"Sure, sure."

Netto was lying face-up on the bed and looked slightly depressed while Saito sat at his side: Sigma made a joke and Blood Shadow replied to it with his usual dryness.

"… Hey… Saito – niisan…"

"What's up, Netto – kun?"

"… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For falling for the trap and letting that guy use me as bait to lure you out of hiding in my brain back then… During _The Crisis_…"

"Oh come on. That's already a thing of the past. Don't mind it."

"… If you say so… But… Will that scar ever heal…?"

"Don't get depressed now or Twilight will get away with his goal."

"Huh! Like I'd let the damned guy!" He sat up and formed a scowl.

"Of course not: he tried to make us hate Forte and Shirakami by turning them into his "heirs" and then attempted the same with Oriol but by then we went for a friendly approach. He and Mr. Shade were able to purge the programs on his cyborg brain yet, in the end, they decided having to co-exist with Twilight was dangerous so they "exiled" themselves to be free…" Saito exposed.

"Forte and Shirakami could've been nice guys… And Oriol could've even joined the class even… But I respect his decision…" Netto sighed.

"Che. If only we'd find their island soon…" Sigma grumbled and tapped the sword with his knuckles.

"Maybe there's some system to hide it but we'd have to risk doing a physical exploration… We could send a Killer Eye…" Blood Shadow calmly muttered.

"Huh? Hikawa's calling…"

"Tooru – kun's calling?" Netto looked over there.

"Patch him through." Saito replied.

"OK."

"… Netto – kun? Saito – kun? You wouldn't know what just happened."

"What?"

"I had to escape three evil-looking women who'd tried to abduct me!"

"Damn it! Twilight. He's trying to destroy our feeling of safety." Netto scowled.

"But the odd part is that… All of a sudden a mysterious biker shot them with a fake machinegun which had paint-ball rounds… He taunted them and they chased him… And now I heard over the radio that they've been detained by the police when they tried to break into a garage which turned out to be the police station's one… The biker shot past using the open rear door and they're seemingly looking for him…"

"Wow. Then it isn't one of the Deadly Pandora bikers?" Saito wondered.

"Hmm… No. He didn't look much older than us in height."

"That's the clue. But… Maybe it was Nelaus trying to play cool?"

"Nelaus? Who's that?"

"A guy Twilight hired to be his disciple… Insofar the only thing he's done is challenge us to a Net Battle twice…"

"Well. If it's just Net Battles then…" Tooru shrugged.

A melody rang out on the background.

"Huh? That's… _The Lord of the Rings_…? Mail… From "Someone"… "I hope you're alright. Those demons are now locked up and will not inflict harm for some time: I've located their damned turf and the police are hitting it by now."… Short email…" Tooru read aloud.

"So he knows about you… Yet… It could be a ploy to try to fool us into some trap or another…" Netto muttered.

"Maybe you can try to… Whoa!"

"What happened?" Saito asked with concern.

"The mail! It self-deleted!" He gasped.

"Careful guy, huh?" Blood Shadow calmly muttered.

"Hmmm…" Sigma looked suspicious.

"How would you describe him, Tooru – kun?"

"Well… He had some kind of red armor along with jeans and boots plus a red motorbike helmet… I think the plate must be a fake if the police haven't said anything about finding them…" Tooru deduced aloud.

"I'd say it could be Nelaus. It wouldn't be too hard, you see."

"… Wait a minute… But if Nelaus has been training in Net Battles insofar and they're on an island… I'm not sure if he's really so skillful with handling a motorbike and shooting at the same time… Maybe it's someone else and they don't really intend to make it look like it's Nelaus but they could be someone we don't know about." Saito looked like he found some flaws to the idea.

"… Maybe Oriol actually returned and was the guy?"

"… It's not crazy yet… Well. Nothing."

"I'm hearing in on the news! The police have hit that turf and they've arrested another 7 women."

"So it was a _dominatrix_ club, huh." Netto muttered.

"Yikes. I don't want to ever come close to one."

"No – one would!" Saito gasped.

"… Eh… By the way…" Netto timidly called out.

"… Yeah. I did disable my chip implant: I don't want to escape reality and I've faced that memory of what happened in December with "Empress" but I don't feel hate. Just slight annoyance at my sloppy battling technique… And falling for such an old trap…"

"Huh… I see. Sorry for that, Saitno – niisan."

"Don't mind it. You did it for my sake."

"So! Escaped from the Living _Naraku_, have you?" A voice taunted on the other end of the line.

"What! Who goes there?" Tooru gasped.

"Twilight." The four of them grumbled.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

"So the biker was Nelaus."

"HUH? What biker?" He sounded like he wasn't expecting that.

"Your ex-boyfriend?" Anaya suddenly joked close by.

"B-b-but! My lady!" He protested.

"Who are cha talking to, anyway?"

"That kid who escaped from the agents we sent…"

"Ah. So that's what the news feed meant…"

"So that's Anaya…!" Netto muttered.

"The villain…!"

"I hear some gossiping there, Twilight. What's this about?"

"I was taunting them: the basis materials."

"BASIS MATERIALS?" Both growled.

"Oh come on! You've overdone it, bad boy." Anaya sounded defeated for once.

"B-but…"

"Persons aren't materials!" Tooru growled.

"Nope. They're merchandise." She sneered.

"Your Persian carpet is the merchandise!"

"Oho. Twilight! Get me a Persian carpet to decorate my _suite_."

"But, technically speaking, the rooms aren't…" He argued back.

"Jeez. You tend to be too literal from time to time: can't you catch some sarcasm at all?"

"Well… That's somewhat…" He trailed off.

"I'm off to Off Land and I'll be on in On Land! Tee, heh, heh."

"… I didn't get the point…" He muttered under his breath but loud enough to be picked by the microphone.

The line suddenly went dead and everyone fumed: Netto managed to stand up on the ground and began to pace around.

"Shit. I'm eager to see that guy being defeated by Vadous – san and locked up in the Navi Prison along with the accomplices."

"I know. I feel like that too. This pointless war needs to end and we must make sure Nelaus isn't turned into an "heir" like the jerk intended."

"The last thing we needed… Let's hope we can put tabs to their movements and counter them…" Blood Shadow sighed.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Let's just use a mirror and have them see how ugly they really are: they'll faint from the scare! And then have them listen to Higure Yamitarou's comments: they'll end up mad! Mwah, hah, hah!"

The other three sighed in defeat at Sigma's behavior…

20:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Are you sure it was smart enough to butt in without orders?"

"I'm telling you it was. Priest – sama wants me to inflict hard blows to those fools."

"If ya say so…"

"Don't worry… Priest – sama will surely tell me I did what had to be done in the first place…"

"But the email…. Why bother?"

"… It's because… Well. I don't know him, yeah, but… I want to prove I'm not that rumored "agent" of "Neo Gospel"…"

"They could be thinking that."

"Fine. Let them think that. I'm not supposed to draw too much attention and, besides that, the "organization" isn't still built or assembled. Priest – sama provided the materiel for me but that's all. I dunno where he is, how old he is, what his nation of origin is and so…"

The mysterious biker who had been described by Tooru and had been witnessed close to the Internet City control center buildings had parked in a garage somewhere and was speaking with his unseen Navi as he headed for an elevator close by.

"Alright. If ya say that…"

"And I've got everything under control: the mail self-deleted and I placed several red herrings on any small bit of data which could've survived or be picked up for analysis…"

The Operator stepped into the elevator and selected one of the floors: it climbed up and he then stepped down when he reached his: he unlocked the apartment and turned off the alarm: he took out the helmet but since the apartment was poorly lit then his face wasn't too visible.

"Let's get to the room and lie down for a while… Driving like that was reckless, I know, but… I had to do it. I couldn't sit back and watch!"

He stepped into a simplistic bedroom and sat down on the bed before facing the ceiling and closing his eyes: he began to convulse after a while and sweat.

"… No…! Where am I…? I'm sitting on something… metallic? W-what's this thing I feel inside of my ass…? I can't move… Ropes…? I can't see… A blindfold…? I can't call out…? Some spheroid…? Ugh! I feel something on my nipples… Clothes pegs?"

He suddenly turned around and seemed to be having a nightmare given his convulsions and how he moved.

"… Some… leather bands… on my neck… running down the sides of my body…? Some weird things are attached above and below my nipples with tape…? W-what! My cock…! Something's been stuffed inside…! Some ropes have been tied around the base… This metallic thing is plunging into my balls' skin… I feel… several clothes pegs too…!"

He began to open and close his hands in an unconscious manner and he seemed to be in panic by now.

"I feel these objects strapped to the sides of my cock's head…! And my legs are tied and gripped…! Some metallic restrains…! This feels like it's above the ground, but what is it…? A woman's voice…! "Welcome to the Ancient Mansion… Kobe's #1 S&M club ruled by us women."... It sounds weird...? Machine-distorted...? S&M, she said? It c-can't be, right? She's going to rape me...?" His voice began to sound fearful.

He suddenly began to yell and groan as he violently lifted and dropped his legs but he didn't seem to realize it was a nightmare yet.

"That voice again...! "What's this about? Easy… We pick lone men like you and bring them here: they become mere servants. Names don't exist. You're just Slave #123. This place has been running for a decade already…. The only reason you are kept alive is to serve both masters and customers as long as your body is healthy. It doesn't matter if your mindset is destroyed: the flesh is what interests us. And it's impossible to run from this fate, servant!"... No way! You can't be serious! Let me go! I'm not guilty of anything!"

He began to unconsciously tug the blankets next.

"... "Those who try to flee only end up wishing we'd killed them instead of punishing them all night long… Futile. Let me show you what a "Living Hell" means."...! No... NO... NO~!"

He finally fell from the bed and hit the floor: the blow was enough to wake him up and he sat up in a sudden manner, panting and looking around before realizing.

"Damn it. I relieved it...! That night...! That horrific night...! That night in which some woman tortured me to the edge of insanity...! All those vibrations haunting my body...! My cock which wanted to release but was unable to...! The vibrations...! I couldn't think at all...! My body was overwhelmed: escape was impossible there...! She then raped me by stuffing one of those strap-on things inside of me too...!"

He closed his arms around his body and seemed to feel a shiver go down his spine.

"And that maniacal pitch...! "Hah, hah, hah! How does it feel? Do you regret conspiring to rule over women? Say it! I'll bring you to your limit, servant."... I'm no – one's servant! Priest – sama is my Boss! I'm just one of the cool guys of his project...!"

He sluggishly stood up but had to lean on a wall because his balance was rather poor.

"She began pulling at the clothes pegs and gripping my balls...! The pain: I'm not going to forget it anytime soon! "Tee, heh, heh. Not yet. Experience the flames which you men used to impose your religion in the ancient eras!"... And she began to use candles' hot wax to burn me: some marks still remain...! I'd just gone out from the orphanage and had been sleeping inside of a bank's ATM room... Then they kidnapped me somehow even though the door WAS locked! "Pray to your useless Kami – sama: that's a myth. There's only one's own strength… The power of the _Dark Side_… Remember this! You can't run away from this fate! Disappear!"... She finally took out the plug, I released and I felt all strength leaving me with rising blackness and... I fainted...!"

He began to sob and rub his eyes while apparently forming a grimace and letting out a roar of rage.

"Damn it! Why me! Why me! Why do they always pick on the weak? You should've done that to one of those orphanage bullies! But thanks to Priest – sama I've run away from those...!"

He finally sighed and breathed in and out for a minute or two before heading to the kitchen and picking some water from the fridge: he took off his upper vest apparently because he felt hot with it and left it on one of the chairs as he drank some water.

"Ah... I needed it. Hmmm? PET's beeping... Priest – sama must've gotten a hold of the news by now, I guess."

He headed over to the bedroom and picked the PET.

"Priest – sama? This is "Past"..."

"Past. Did you do that on the news?"

"I did, sir. I apologize for acting outside of granted orders but I just couldn't sit back and watch them getting away with it."

"No, I don't care. You had to do it. It's as simple as that."

"Ah... Thank you, sir."

"What news do you have on "Neo Gospel" and "Deadly Pandora"? I've been engrossed in some work on my side and been somewhat out of touch with main news but I keep tags to warn me of news related to anything you should pursue and tackle..."

"Well. They seem to have hired some agent they name "Nelaus" and it seems it's his name… Some guy around my age… I've heard that he's supposed to be blonde… His Navi, Isaac is rather curious… He seems to have dormant abilities which are awakened as he progresses with new battles and techniques… I've got imagery, sir."

"Excellent. Send it to my usual account… By the way, Past…"

"Yes, Priest – sama? Do I need to do something else, sir?"

"I pick some stress on your voice."

"… True, sir… I happened to relive THE incident… After which you approached me, sir, and took me into your plans, sir."

"Oh. I see." He did sound sad for a moment.

"Please don't pity me, sir. I can overcome it, sir."

"I'm not telling you to do the impossible. We're human, Past. There are limits to what we can do and we can commit mistakes from time to time too but we learn from them." "Priest" told him.

"… Roger, sir…"

"Take it easy, alright? I'm not intending to push you too much."

"I understand, sir… Please leave it to me…"

"And remember to keep your cover intact… You'll need to start working on your "mask", your psychological mask, soon… You know what I mean, don't you, Past?" He asked.

"I do, sir, and I am glad to be given this chance, sir."

"Good. Just keep a low profile and act like a normal student: since you'll be in the "B" group then you won't get much attention…"

"Roger, sir. I'll do my best, sir!"

"Excellent. _Good luck_."

The call ended and "Past" sighed as he rubbed his shoulders and hung his head down while sighing.

"Will I be able to bury that memory or stop it from haunting me? All I've been able to find out is that the attacker was alone and that the tale they said was to scare me 'cause the real club had been brought down already by the time that happened: I'll have to run some better investigations in the databases… And when I find them I want to have them be brought to a court! But let's not forget about our duty either…! Time to sleep…"

_I'll find the culprits and see to it that they are punished!_


	32. Chapter 32: Virtual trouble

**Chapter 32: Virtual trouble**

15:05 PM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 19th…

"… So? Proud of the mess you've gotten into by trying to play with the VR customizer?"

"Well…"

"Heck. This horse is trying to throw me off the whole time."

"And I have trouble keeping this chariot in line too!"

"Sigma! Where'd you get the idea to try to mix in Commander Alamant'z PC game with the VR Simulator? And ending up as a _ninja_ isn't funny even for me."

"Let's hope Vadous – san can figure a way to switch this off before we get into further trouble… These Crusaders are hard to beat and even if you beat the whole of them, when the enemy invokes a new Crusade, their numbers will lift!"

From the looks of the situation, it seemed that Blood Shadow, Sigma, Netto, Rock Man and Zero had had their consciousness installed in some 3D sprites taking part in some RPG-like game having an Asian city setting: Blood Shadow had become a _ronin_, Sigma had become a _samurai_, Netto a horseback _samurai_, Saito a soldier riding a war chariot and Zero a _ninja_: a castle could be seen standing close to them surrounded by some stone turrets and other buildings.

"Well! I just thought this would allow us to fight as usual but instead of Viruses and Darkloids…" Sigma began arguing.

"…against the "European" units of the game _Tzar: Burden of the Crown_ which Commander Alamantz likes…!" Blood Shadow grumbled.

"And thanks to your BRILLIANT IDEA we've gotten stuck in these 3D sprites and have the usual programming for them! We're "Hero" category but that only means slightly higher attack and defense compared to units recently spawned from the barracks or other buildings… What a panorama, truly! And we're being assaulted by the computer!" Zero fumed.

"Warning! Catapults and Ballistae!" Netto warned.

"Time for sortie! I can see the Monks and Priests too plus some of our dragons… The other barracks are dispatching units and other _ninja_ are joining in the defense…! Lancelot! The red computer player: we're the blue "human or AI" player…!" Saito muttered.

They raced north to see some wooden catapults and ballistae: the catapults shot spears and had a shorter range than ballistae: a horde of "Crusaders" and Pike-men came in with them accompanied by some gigantic "Stone Golems" too.

"Shit. Let the dragons take out the golems! Let's tackle the engines first and then we'll hit the others… Zero! Use your "Assassination" special ability and bring one of those down in 1 hit!"

"Sure kill! Assassination!"

Zero's sprite drew a _katana_ and slashed a Crusader: they collapsed and their horse and corpse soon began to rot to give way to a skeleton and then disappear: the Dragons began to attack the enemies while some Mages shot streams of flames forward: they were countered by bluish energy spheres coming from some Priests.

"Che! Bring out our catapults and ballistae too! The Stone Turrets are also doing a good job at taking them out: luckily we quickly realized they were vital for defense but the assistant AI doesn't handle them if you're a human player!" Blood Shadow commanded.

"Man. This isn't a walk into the park." Sigma muttered.

"Sure as Hell isn't. This is set to be "Hard" difficulty and "Fight to the death" mode: you start with limitless resources and the goal is to quickly build up a large army and constantly send out sorties to strike the enemy! Luckily the "Asian" civilization can create a max of 300 units compared to the 250 Europeans and Arabians can do." Zero grumbled next.

"Che! We'll be lucky if we don't get out sprites deleted." Netto cursed.

"If only you didn't go and mess with the system…!"

"Hammer!"

"… This sprite is ridiculous."

A "Dwarf" unit with some beard and a hat wielding a hammer hit one of the "Footman" units while a "Ghost" unit wearing a white robe and making shrieks plus having a skull without skin as if it was a dead summoned from another world joined the fright.

"Trill and Iris?" Netto recognized them.

"We were in the room below yours, Hikari – kun, but the system suddenly pulled us to this room and had us be spawned out of a "Magic Gateway" along with "Orcs" and "Skeletons"…" Iris, the "Ghost", explained.

"Hammer!" Trill giggled.

"What the heck did you with the servers?" Blood Shadow growled.

"I thought I'd need more server power so…" Sigma trailed off.

"You'll be lucky if Commander Omega doesn't shut you in the capsule for a whole month as punishment!" Blood Shadow hissed in a menacing tone of voice.

"The only way out is to beat Lancelot, then!" Netto fumed.

"Sure. We firstly got to pull back their strike and then we should concentrate our troops… We'll have to face the Heavy Catapults too and their Mages with their "Freeze" and "Thunder" spells… We can use "Confusion" to incite in-fighting too…" Saito suggested.

"Some "Orcs" and "Skeletons" are hitting the left flank of the incoming troops just outside their city: we must go and hit them hard. It won't end until we bring down their "Homes", "Castle", "Military Academy", "Commerce Hall", "Barracks", "Workshops", "Smithy", "Farm", "Stone Turrets", "Cannon Turrets", "Magic Tower", "Cathedral", "Church", "Pub" and "Stables"…!" Zero listed.

"What a task we've got ahead of us! Luckily the weapons will make it easier and our own "Rocket-Firing Turrets" should help defend us."

"Man. I play with fire and get burnt!" Sigma muttered with obvious defeat to his voice.

"Yay! Hammer!"

"Don't get too close to the Stone Turrets: we must take them out firstly before we can advance… More troops are finishing their training with the "Training Dummies" and rising to 8 points of experience…" Iris warned him with a sigh.

"OK!"

"We'll need "Bowmen"… Some are coming out of the "Barracks" and training, I can see that… Their "Long-bow Bowmen" are a threat to take out quickly and so are their "Knights"… Their "Mace-men", "Footmen" and "Archers" are no big deal… And we should take down the "Cathedral" and quick before they spawn another "Crusade"…" Zero glanced behind him at their city.

"Ah! Look! Their southern flank is collapsing!" Blood Shadow reported.

"Good. But they'll soon renew their defenses if we don't hit them without breaks. The horseback units are ready: go!" Saito rallied.

"Excellent! The "Mages" are running and hiding in the "Castle". Let's storm the "Magic Tower" and the "Cathedral"! Huh? Ah! They had a "Watch Post"… They were intending to take shelter there too and then emerge again…" Netto spotted.

"Good progress! The "Magic Tower" went down and the "Cathedral" has less than 25% of its total HP left!" Iris seemed to smile.

"Yay! Trumpets! Trumpet Man!" Trill giggled.

"That was odd." Sigma muttered.

"Maybe some idea Dragon – san gave him…" Blood Shadow shrugged and didn't seem to mind it too much.

"… Alright. Someone tell me what the hell is going on."

"YIKES! C-Commander Omega!"

"What kind of sprite is THIS?"

"A-an "Orc"…"

"An Orc! How the mighty have fallen, HUH?"

An "Orc" having armor and green skin while wielding an axe came in: but it turned out to be Omega who was totally annoyed and pissed off at how he'd ended up.

"Yay! Uncle Omega came!" Trill giggled.

"Trill! And that's Iris?" He recognized.

"Correct. HE is to blame." Iris signaled Sigma.

"I knew it! Why do you always have to mess around with the systems and everything?" Omega exasperatedly asked.

"I just thought I could replace the map enemies, sir!"

"You should've asked me! But using a "key-logger" to get my "Admin" password… That was going overboard!" Omega fumed.

"Sorry, Omega. But save the reprimanding for later. We're all trying to survive here. If we don't beat Lancelot's units and destroy the guy's buildings then the game won't end." Zero called out.

"Fuck. Alright! What do I need to do?"

"Just stand back: we can't risk getting caught in the siege."

"Lovely. Totally." Omega growled.

"Don't worry: we've collapsed the eastern and southern sides of his city but he's still got some resistance left… He'll run out of forces soon enough once we attack the guy's "Sawmill" and the other buildings left in the northern and western flanks…" Zero told him.

"At least some good news. Boss sent me in because he can't get any feed of what's going on. Let's clear this and get out already. This is starting to remind me of that Canadian cartoon series using 3D animation named "Re-Boot" in which the Cyber World inhabitants of a system…"

"Yeah? They had to fight invaders?" Zero asked with curiosity.

"… They had to take part in user-uploaded games where their system's integrity would be staked… Characters would assume the 3D sprites corresponding to the game… And it was possible to travel between different systems using those games too… Look it up on Wikipedia if you've got time after this."

"Hum. A game where we stake more than our lives… It does get that feeling from time to time yeah…"

"Western flank down! The "Castle" crumbled! Only some sporadic resistance left in the northern flank…!"

"So this is going to end?" Omega sighed in relief.

"Huh… Wait a minute… I think I'm forgetting something… This map is random map but made with the map editor… I think there were one or two things already set there that I'm forgetting about…" Sigma suddenly muttered.

"… New hostile! It used "Fire Rain"! Arabian Mage? Is there a hidden Arabian player or what?" Zero reported with a gasp.

"Wrong! There came "Freeze"! European Mage!" Nettto warned next while checking some alarms which showed up a on a circle within the mini-map.

"Weird! That was "Fire Blast"! What's going on? No Mage can learn the other Mage's techniques unless they found a pair of Spell Books dropped there but I think that'd be too much of a coincidence!" Saito sounded puzzled.

"Oh crap…" Sigma muttered.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Omega demanded.

"T-that's… The secret unit which can't be legally spawned and the secret building which can't be legally built… You can only place them there using the map editor… The building is the strongest of them all and so it this unit which is associated with it despite that the building can't spawn them…."

"What the hell IS THAT?" Blood Shadow cursed.

"Yikes!" Trill gasped.

"I don't like the looks of it!" Iris gasped next.

"Crap! The "Messiah"! It's got 1000 HP, a whoopin' high attack rate which clocks at 50 points, 10 of defense, 1000 points of "Mana" and can use at random any technique of any Mage! It comes together with the "Evil Castle" which has a base HP of about 20.000 points!" Sigma gasped.

"So we're in DEEP SHIT! BECAUSE OF YOU!" Omega cursed.

"W-well… Yeah… Guess that, Commander Omega…" He trailed off.

"But it ain't immortal, right?" Omega questioned next.

"No! But it'd take A LOT of units to kill it."

The "Messiah" was a tall figure which could be between two and three meters tall.

Their face skin was blackish and two hellish eyes were set on his demon-like face: their hands' skin was also blackish.

They wore a simple robe with a cape colored red.

"The only problem is that Asian Monks and Priests aren't effective against that guy… If we'd had a normal Priest then… We'll have to resort to throwing all we have at it until we bring it down… And then bring down the "Evil Castle"… It alone can't do anything."

"Fine! Let's go for it!"

Several units began to attack the Messiah who formed a ring of energy around its waist and then shot spheres of energy before casting some purplish dust over some of the units and making them gain a grayish color: they began to fight with the blue-colored units.

"Damn it. The Asian Mage Spell "Confusion"… We gotta be careful and not let it come any closer!" Zero grumbled.

"Sigma! What's the basis HP for this beastly guy?"

"Well… As I said before 1000 HP, 50 Attack and 10 Defense… The HP rises along with the stats as more experience is acquired…"

"Alright. So let's pour a lot of long-range weaponry because if the guy uses "Freeze" or "Fire Rain" then the close-range forces are going to suffer a lot too: and even if he uses "Necromancy" to spawn "Skeletons" from the dead we can easily tackle them." Zero instructed.

"And once we get out of this we're gonna TALK. A LOT!"

"Yikes. Man!"

"Go!" Zero commanded.

"Enemy's HP values are below the 50% mark!" Netto reported.

"Sending in reinforcements!" Saito exclaimed.

"Dispatch some of them to the "Evil Castle" too… Use the "Inn" and recruit some mercenaries. We can send them directly towards the "Evil Castle" and take it down…" Blood Shadow suggested.

"The sooner we end the better." Iris muttered.

"Yay! Yay!" Trill just giggled.

"The "Messiah" has lost over 80% of its total HP values!" Zero observed and sounded satisfied.

"And since we've got a lot of "Barracks" and the "Inn" plus the other buildings… We can produce a lot of units which can harm the jerk over and over again… As long as the total unit count doesn't drop below 50 then it'll be alright…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"Jeez. Is it going to EVER die?" Omega growled.

"S-soon, I think…" Sigma timidly muttered.

"You moron." Omega snapped.

"Man." He hung his head down.

"It's lost over 97%! It's got about 30 HP values left!" Zero called out.

"Just another few seconds…! How's the "Evil Castle" demolition going like, on the other hand?" Netto asked.

"I'm on it. We've managed to inflict some harm but the sheer amount of HP values for this thing is something! It's two and a half times the amount of HP values of a normal "Castle"… Luckily it can't do anything!" Saito reported.

"Yeah… I think that's because it was a last-minute decision: it'd made sense to me if you could spawn "Messiah" units with it but you can't and the only thing it does is serve as decoration. But you could place a "Messiah" in the map using the Map Editor…" Sigma explained with a shrug of the shoulders.

"The "Messiah" is gone! All units: attack the "Evil Castle"! Make the HP value drop rate increase! It's currently lost one fourth of the total HP values by now!" Zero rallied.

"Go~! Let's go ourselves too!" Blood Shadow told them.

"Yay! Yay!"

"Let us put an end to "Evil"!" Iris rallied.

They ran forward and spotted a large gray stone mole with various turrets having red roofs: a ramp led to an inner courtyard and some kind of stone face was sculpted on the arch marking the entrance: it seemed to make all other buildings look child-sized in comparison.

"Someone's clearly compensating for something." Omega drily muttered without being impressed.

"Let's go! Attack!" Zero rallied.

The group began to hit the building as more of their attacking units walked or rode into the area: flames began to pop out of the mole: it began with one followed by a second and a third.

"The HP values are below 1000 points!" Blood Shadow rallied.

"The finishing blow! _Game Over_, Lancelot!" Zero taunted.

The "Evil Castle" finally collapsed into debris which began to spread around before starting to diminish.

"Lancelot has been defeated!" An auto-voice exclaimed.

A holographic screen with the header "YOU'VE WON" showed up and several options showed beneath it.

"… Restart, Continue, Load Game, Exit… Exit!"

The whole environment broke down into the basic computer form and everyone regained their usual avatars before they "flew" towards the "portal" and made it back to the real world: Netto, Blood Shadow and Sigma appeared in one of the rooms along with Zero.

"Guess Commander Omega used another room to come in and we that Iris and Trill were in the one below…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"SIGMA~!" Vadous roared over the speakers.

"Yikes. Out of the fire and into the frying pan…!"

"YOU LOWLIFE~! I DON'T WANT TO PICTURE WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T KEPT YOUR AVATARS ALIVE! I'M GONNA COME DOWN AND… BY DAMNATION! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS DEARLY~!"

"That's what happens when you play with stuff too complicated for your cocky behavior." Blood Shadow drily muttered.

"He needs a lesson on behavior." Rock Man duly noted.

"Totally." Netto agreed on it.

"That's what you get for fooling around and endangering us all."

"Yay! That was fun!" Trill's voice exclaimed through the speakers.

"Vadous – san! Do give him a lesson, sir!" Iris requested.

"T-this MORON!" Omega yelled.

Netto, Rock Man, Blood Shadow and Zero sighed while Sigma gulped.

_I hope ya get the lesson, Sigma… You don't toy with these things or else…!_


	33. Chapter 33: Snakes and traps

**Chapter 33: Snakes and traps**

13:33 PM (Utah Time), Monday July the 21st…

"… Ah. How dull. How… repetitive."

"Do you need me to order some more French wine, Ms. Millionaire?"

"Hum… No. I don't feel like it today."

"May I make a list of suggestions?"

"Sure, Snake Man… Try to bring me some passion."

"Hmm… Well. Regarding "passion", I found the name "dominatrix", the meaning of which I don't know, related with it…"

"… Nah. I did that on college but I'm too grown up by now to play those rebel girl games… Discarded!"

"I apologize."

"No! You didn't do anything bad: you just did your job… Next!"

"Hmmm… Stock market speculation?"

"I prefer to leave that to my stock market geeks."

"Hmmm… Sponsoring?"

"I've done that but… It doesn't fit me."

Ms. Millionaire, owner of Net Navi Snake Man, was sitting on her living room's sofa while wearing her usual expensive clothes and dully sipping some red wine from a cup: she looked bored and Snake Man was automatically trying to make suggestions to fuel her up.

"News?"

"Sure. Give some news. Whose turn is it to cause ruckus today?"

"It'd rather be the coalition of "Deadly Pandora" and "Neo Gospel"… It is said that "Neo Gospel" rescued a dangerous criminal from a Louisiana prison over a month ago… The name is Anaya Maria."

"PUAH!"

"Huh! Ms. Millionaire?"

"Anaya Maria, you say~?"

"Eh, yes, that is correct. And there's another which…"

"Izono Marco?"

"T-that is correct too."

She suddenly spat the wine from the surprise and looked genuinely surprised while Snake Man was surprised.

"But why would…? Ah…! The "Secret Empire" business she said she was going to do… I'd heard rumors… But I never paid too much attention either when I should've… Interesting!" She grinned.

"Was I of help?"

"You sure were, Snake Man! Now I feel fueled. I'd like to figure out how to contact Anaya… Ah! The Boston College times… Anaya and I sure made a good combination! I was young back then… Ah…" She looked like she was reminiscing.

"Ms. Millionaire?" Someone knocked at the door.

"Bob?"

"Yes, ma'am. Good news: we've got a new participant in the "Survival Seven" game, ma'am, yet…" One of her agents reported.

"Yet?"

"He knew about it to begin with and he didn't need be directed… He actually showed up on the game room to begin with… And I think he should be in the system by now too…"

"My. Talk about interesting."

"So you're Snake Man?"

"Yessss… And you are?"

"Isaac."

"Solid Snake will visit you, _Danna_, or so my _senpai _says."

Isaac was facing Snake Man and Nelaus made a joke along the way: Millionaire looked surprised.

"Oh my! What an incredibly customized Navi…"

"Hum! So you're Japanese?"

"Yeah. And you're Brazilian."

"HUH? Where did you get the idea from?" Snake Man sounded surprised at the joke.

"They say a lot of snakes inhabit Brazil." Nelaus joked.

"Huh… I think so… Ahem, ahem. Welcome to "Survival Seven". You must fight your way across 7 areas and, if you clear them, you get a prize: all Battle Chips and Program Advances are allowed."

"OK. Go for it, Isaac."

"Sure."

Isaac grabbed the doorknob of the door and a small snake coiled around his wrist.

"It's a sign to prove you're a contestant."

Isaac entered a jungle landscape and four Navis ran towards him: he snickered and made his body glow with an orange glow before punching the ground: geysers of magma formed there and shot upwards to knock some of the Navis out of the way: he jumped over them and spotted a big bulky Navi blocking his way.

"Heh. Diamond Blade, Slot In!"

"Diamond Blade!"

"O~h! I'm starting to like this." Millionaire eagerly muttered.

"His technique is radically new!" Snake Man grinned.

"Impossible! My armor…!"

"No armor can withstand diamond. Step asides!"

"Damn you~… Zeus Hammer! DELETE~!"

"Wrong."

Isaac dodged the attack and formed two round blood red disks which he shot out and they climbed up the Navi's armor while opening crevices on the armor: Isaac then drew two Long Blades and inserted them to hit the insides: the Navi growled and collapsed so Isaac rushed for the door and stepped into the next area.

"2nd area! Fight!" Snake Man rallied.

"Hora~h!"

Five Navis rushed towards him but he merely formed a gray cloud above him from which thunderbolts rained down followed by a white swallow flying across the air and knocking one of the Navis into the ground: he formed a spear next and delivered some blows to one of the Navis before switching for the Cosmo Ring and swinging it around to knock down the remaining Navis: two bulky Navis rushed in.

"A bug!"

"Let's smash it!"

"Wrong."

Isaac skid past one through the gap on the legs and formed two yellowish orbs of energy: he shot them at the Navi guys' backs and they got attached there to then electrocute them: they howled and fell down into the ground as the next door formed.

"Go on!"

"Sure, _Senhor_ Snake Man." Nelaus joked.

"I still don't get the point, Mr. Customer." He politely complained.

"_Check it out_ in Wikipedia as Bright Man used to say."

"Guess I'll have to…"

"This boy is fun." Millionaire grinned.

"It would seem his name is Nelaus but we don't know much about him: a quick search for previous Net Battle records in tournaments or Game Centers turned out nothing. But that Navi is proof that he has some contacts who are experts on the field." The agent reported.

"Hmmm… A conspiracy, eh?" She looked amused.

"It could be so, ma'am."

"Tee, heh, heh. I smell Anaya's hands here… It would fit with her to recruit an appealing boy to do the work for her and gain a "Champion" of her own despite that Net Battles weren't fashion at the Boston College and they began much later…" She guessed aloud.

"… Had enough?"

"Enough Guy told them Not Enough Girl is here."

"W-what the heck was that, Nelaus?"

Isaac was standing in the 3rd area surrounded by the beaten legion of 11 Navis who all had different types of wounds on them: Nelaus made a weird joke he didn't get the point of.

"Dunno. Ask Ms. 4th area."

"Jeez. I think Twilight – sama has been telling you that vain humor of his all too much as of late… Lovely, just lovely."

Isaac sighed and stepped into the 4th area to be surrounded by 8 bulky Navis: he merely formed a Mega Cannon and placed the muzzle on the ground to then fire it: the recoil made him fly just the Navis began to attack each other and Isaac calmly lifted his arms.

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance! Count Bomb, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Count Bomb! Say _good morning_, _folks_." He sneered.

"Heh! Well said…" Millionaire giggled.

The Giga Count Bomb was dropped inside of the circle and the explosion knocked out the whole legion of bulky Navis: Isaac wasted no time and got into the 5th area next.

"By the way, Isaac…"

"What's up now? More jokes?"

"No! I've heard about this cool upcoming game of _Pocket Monsters: Platinum _and I'm gonna get it when it comes out on September: we'll have a cool time exploring it together. Heh, heh, heh."

"Alright. Just focus on clearing this area… Where are the opponents? You wouldn't have given them stealth camouflage, right, Snake Man?"

"Huh? My! How odd. Where are they?" Snake Man wondered too.

"Hora~h!"

"Huh! Underground! Clever guys!"

"Hah! I'm Drill Man!"

"Wait a minute! Where did you come from?" Snake Man gasped.

"I'm an envoy of Flaming Business Inc.!"

"Not those guys again…" Millionaire sighed.

"Drill Man? I remember about the guy. He attacked a Net Police agent back in December 2004 and I think he was repelled… He did work for someone else back then…" Twilight's voice commented over Nelaus' PET in the real world.

"Oh. I see."

"Tunnel Crusher!"

Drill Man compacted into his drill form and shot forward but Isaac merely jumped and landed atop his body to form a Mega Cannon and placed the muzzle on the guy's back: he fired and Drill Man yelped.

"Grah! Tactical withdrawal!"

"Hey! Don't run away!"

Drill Man jumped into a tunnel he'd excavated and Isaac followed: he spotted how there was an exit shaft and that the tunnel led to the 6th area where 12 Dream Viruses had been beaten by having their cores pierced through by Drill Man.

"This guy is no joke." Isaac muttered.

"Triple Drill!"

He formed two additional drills and they all dived for Isaac but he maneuvered and flipped before landing atop the main one and shooting his back again: Drill Man growled and landed on the ground before drilling a path across it and then shooting forward like a missile: Isaac calmly dodged too and shot another shot at close-quarters: Drill Man returned to normal form and tried to hit Isaac with his arms but failed: he growled under his breath and drilled through a building to make it collapse and bury Isaac under the debris as he tried to give chase.

"Hah! Take that! Now I'll get the corporate data!"

"It's too early to laugh!"

"What?"

"Other Dimension Gate!"

The purplish round gate formed and Isaac came out of it while wielding his Diamond Blade: he plunged it through Drill Man's waist and he growled as Isaac quickly pulled it out.

"Have more!" Isaac challenged.

"Che!" Drill Man grumbled.

"HEY! Don't run away, you!"

"Have at ya, damned brat!"

"Look who talks: aren't you the coward type to begin with, huh?"

Drill Man had jumped into another tunnel and Isaac chased him into the 7th area where a gigantic Garuu and Mettool had been knocked into the ground: Drill Man emerged again and fumed.

"No more hide-and-seek!"

"That's my motto."

"Wha~t? Damn you!" He got annoyed again.

"Give it up already, Tunnel Newbie." Isaac taunted next.

"Damn you~! Tunnel Crusher! I'll grind you TO DUST!"

"Wrong. Program Advance!"

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun! Triple Slot In!"

"Hyper Burst!"

The blast hit the head of Drill Man's drill body and began to push him back given the high pressure (pounds per square meter) applied there: Drill Man crashed against another building and groaned while Isaac aimed a Long Blade at his neck.

"Go back to your masters."

"Fuck. I'll remember this!"

He finally jumped into the "sky" and escaped through a hole he'd opened there: Isaac sighed in relief.

"Yo~! Millionaire~…"

"Anaya! I knew it had to be you. _Bad girl_!"

"Tee, heh, heh! I'm flattered. You remembered the college nickname!"

Anaya had opened her communications screen and looked amused as she chatted with Millionaire.

"Sure I did… Bob. Come out."

"Roger."

"So? What happened?"

"Long story short… Two of the "Admin" guys I hired told the cops the deal with the drugs and the weapons and went for me 'cause it didn't involve messing with foreign territories… They always pick the weak."

"… Oh. I see." She seemed to guess there was more to it.

"But thanks to one loyal "Admin" then… And a fan's help… I'm now hiding from them and laughing at them as we bring headache after headache on them… Tee, heh, heh."

"So. You still keep hooked on the games?"

"I haven't done any ever since I got locked up over 3 years ago… But maybe one day… Meh." She shrugged.

"Ah! I see. By the way, could I ask a little favor?"

"Sure. I owe ya a lot from college: you gave me the inspiration to start the business to begin with, anyway."

"Good. That Drill Man guy… I'm fed up with the guy breaking into my game and ruining it so… Can you go and hit those guys a bit to scare them and show them I've got powerful connections? They're causing trouble for a lot of companies and even if you guys hit them they won't suspect me because I'll be but another victim in a list of tens."

"Oho. I like how that sounds… Twilight! You heard Millionaire. Bring out the "Darkloids" and hit them hard. Delete that speck of dust along the way while you're at it." She commandeered off-screen.

"Delighted, my lady."

"And remember: make it look like they'd tried to steal data from us or something like that. Anything will do."

"That will be easy to arrange, my lady."

"Arrange an arrangement?"

"Do excuse me, my lady?" He sounded somewhat confused.

"Tee, heh, heh. Oh! That face! I could look at it a thousand times and I'd never grow bored of it! I swear!" She laughed.

"My lady…!" He sighed in defeat.

"Teasing as usual, eh, Anaya? What became of _cute boy_ Izono?"

"He's my secretary and spokesperson! But I think I overdid it and turned him too stiff and too protocol-based… He lacks passion!"

"Oh my. Then treat him to a film."

"Why not… I'll dust up one classic or another… Maybe _Moon-raker_ will do: he liked to make sarcasm of the thing. But I gotta admit that the film somewhat gave me ideas… The idea of having a spatial fortress from where I could control the fate of the Earth…"

"Oho. Now that's interesting."

"You mean the "Palace" you mentioned from time to time, Boss?"

"Yeah. The same thing which Vadous blasted off just to provoke me…"

"And there was a… hum… court? I mean… Staff, aides and such?"

"Of course! And we had communication systems with the surface."

"… Ah! How brilliant." Millionaire seemingly spotted something else.

"Well! It was nice to chat but I'd rather leave it at here for today. Let's chat 'bout ol' times on another moonie raking day."

"Patent it, _bad girl_." She invited with a grin.

"Sure, _clever girl_. Nelaus! Retrieve Isaac and get back here on the triple."

"I thought it was "on the double"?" Nelaus wondered.

"Kidding ya~… Tee, heh, heh. Oh Double Triple Quadruple Joke!"

Millionaire laughed at the joke while the guys (Twilight included) sighed in defeat at Anaya's impossibly crazy humor.

_Boss can get these weird moods… Well! Let's just go on with life! Heh!_


	34. Chapter 34: WWW Team's comeback

**Chapter 34: WWW Team's Comeback**

12:51 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday July the 23rd…

"… _Let's play Rock & Roll!_"

"… Ah… There he goes again!"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Wily – sama? What is the matter, sir?"

"Don't mind me, Maha Jarama…"

"Trouble, Maha Jarama – sama, trouble…"

"Trouble Elbuort!"

"Colored Man … That was silly and cha know that. Jeez!"

"Shah, shah, shah! These guys are funny, Yuriko!"

"Sure, sure. Father… Can't you do something better than this?"

"He can come up with an Anti Freeze Man Flame Thrower!"

"Not again…! Hinoken – sama…!"

"_Oh yeah! It's… BEAUTIFUL!_"

"The song? Or that you didn't get to join the cavalry?"

"The million Z question!"

"_Well!_ Both of _those and_… _HEY! YOU AGAIN!"_

Count Elec had begun practicing with his guitar on the Maha Ichiban's back-store with Elec Man sighing: Wily chuckled, Maha was surprised, Magic Man was grim, Colored Man made some pun, Madoi was unimpressed, Needle Man grinned, Yuriko sighed, Hinoken began to get cocky, Fire Man slapped his forehead and Count Elec kept on singing until two voices interrupted him: he got annoyed.

"_EAT ROCK 'N ROLL! THERE~! YANKEE GO HOME~! YOU JERK! YOU MORON! YOU NITWIT! YOU WANNABE~! BY MAMA~! GET OUT, YOU!"_

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Gotcha, Gotche, Gotchi, Gotchu and Gotcho!"

Charles ran out while bending his body forward to avoid the guitar which Count Elec threw at him and Davis (inside of the PET) giggled: he exited the store and Count Elec walked out making exaggerated long strides and while looking like he could strangle someone.

"Count Elec!" Wily called out.

"_D-doctor_ Wily – sama~!" He stood up and saluted.

"Hinoken! Maha Jarama! Madoi!"

"W-Wily – sama! Command us!" They formed a row.

"It's time! The "WWW Team" is coming back to action! Those "Neo Gospel" clowns won't be stealing the spotlight from us for much longer: that I promise you!"

BLAM!

He brought his left fist down into the table as if to dramatize and the four Operators looked eager while the Navis sighed and could seemingly foresee further trouble.

"Hinoken! The Virus Factory ruins… Check them out! I upgraded Fire Man's power so you shouldn't have much trouble!"

"Roger, Wily – sama!"

"Madoi! Search for foul vultures! Colored Man's strength got increased and he should be able to stand his ground!"

"Roger, Wily – sama!"

"Count Elec! Investigate the activities of Gauss Magnets!"

"_Roger_, Wily – sama!"

"Maha Jarama! Ask in Namaste to figure out if they're using it as a base!"

"Acknowledged, Wily – sama!"

"Go!"

"PLUG IN! TRANSMISSION!"

"Fire Man! The Virus Factory: on the quadruple!"

"… Yes, Hinoken – sama…"

"Elec Man! _Go_ figure out what _aniki_ is up to!"

"Roger, Count Elec!"

"Colored Man! Go find vultures!"

"OK, Madoi!"

"Magic Man! Contact Namaste ASAP!"

"Understood, Maha Jarama – sama."

"Hmpf! So these are the "WWW Team"? What rags! It's no wonder they didn't last even 2 months! Hah!"

"Hmpf! Let's have fun beating the crap out of them."

"My spear is howling! It wants blood!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Let them realize their own powerlessness…"

"By all the…! The "Neo Gospel" punks?" Wily gasped.

"No doubt. I remember them all-too-well." Yuriko grimly muttered.

"Crap." Needle Man muttered.

"Ah! The exiled one is here: did you enjoy the meditation in the "Cryptum"?" Cosmo Man grinned.

"What the heck is that?"

"Ah! Cosmo Man. Remember what Twilight – sama said: the name won't become known to them until over two years from now." Yamato Man whispered to him but was loud enough to be heard.

"Oh. True. I'd forgotten. You did well on reminding me, Yamato Man."

"Enough chit-chat! Let's go! Many Cloud!"

"Swallow Cutter!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

"Thousand Spear!"

"Fire Arm!"

"Aqua Tower!"

"Magic Fire!"

"Lighting Flare!"

"Huh! It's begun!" Needle Man gasped.

"Stay there as backup." Wily commanded.

"You weren't expecting this, right, Father?"

"Of course not. The "comeback" thing was intended to lift up their mood and prove we can do useful stuff." Wily replied.

"Such as blaming me?"

"Huh! Regal? You were supposed to be away!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Some favors and…"

"Heck."

Dr. Regal had suddenly and silently come in and was standing facing Wily's table while clasping his hands behind him in a prideful and rather arrogant manner while making a smug grin.

"I'm not blaming you, Regal! I didn't tell you to try to conquer the real world: you came up with that and the "Dimensional Converters" because my design used environmental EM to function!" Wily stood up in a violent manner and leant both hands on the table.

"Oh?" He played surprised.

"Don't play with me, Regal! You're an adult! Games are over!"

"Then your game with those ex-employees is over too?"

"Don't try to twist the meaning of my words!"

"… Che! This Yamato Man guy is no joke." Elec Man grumbled.

"That Cosmo Man one is hard!" Magic Man complained.

"The jerk named Cloud Man is sneaky~!" Colored Man groaned.

"Damn. Swallow Man's fast!" Fire Man cursed.

"_Battle Chip_, _Elec Sword! Slot In!_" Count Elec's accent became accented.

"Battle Chip, Aka Tsunami Hole! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Earthquake! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Totem! Slot In!"

"Hah! Spear VS Sword! Make it interesting, foolish _ronin_!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Magic? There's no such thing! It's a fool's dream: humans are naturally weak and have always wanted to think they can become stronger! Hence why including so much super-natural or magic stuff in works has so much popularity…" Cosmo Man mocked.

"Gruh! Not bad… But now's my turn! Many Cloud!"

"Hmpf! Those things won't be enough to stop me!"

"Regal! Enough fooling around! It's been over 3 years!"

"Not like it's been 25 years."

"REGAL! If you're not going to be helpful then… GO TO KING LAND!"

"Hmpf. The court confiscated my passport." He shrugged.

"Che! You're starting to ANNOY ME!"

"Then you weren't as perfect as you said you were, Father."

"Nguh! I was different back then! I'm doing all this in the name of a person I could trust and whom I respected! Their last wish! I'm honoring them!"

"Oh? Wouldn't that be a fictional character?"

"Dr. Regal! Please be reasonable, sir." Yuriko called out.

"And weren't you the one who blew up that "Dark Chip" factory with a "Net Savior" inside of it?"

"You ordered me to! I was different too: I was selfish! But I've left that behind: I'm trying to recover what I've lost during these years of having my memories locked by "Duo"!"

"Needle Man! You enjoyed slaughtering others."

"Che! Ya programmed me to be like that, _Danna_!"

"They surrendered last summer after the whole "Neo Gospel" tale: so stop being so… stubborn! Don't pick on their mistakes: we've all done mistakes sooner or later! Or are you going to say you're incapable of mistakes to begin with, Regal?"

"… Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"_Good idea_, Hinoken! _Program Advance_! Elec Pulse, Triple Slot In! Destroy Pulse! _Go_!"

"Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Slot In! Zeta Cannon! Let's go, Colored Man!"

"Program Advance! Iron Shell, Triple Slot In! Parallel Shell!"

Fire Man show the Giga Cannon at Swallow Man and hit him but Swallow Man didn't seem to mind it much: the Destroy Pulse did momentarily stun Yamato Man but he soon recovered: the Zeta Cannon landed five blows in Cloud Man's body but he just grinned: the Parallel Shell did inflict some damage to Cosmo Man but he didn't seem to think it was a big deal.

"_Shit_. They're too hard to chew!" Count Elec hissed.

"Fuck." Hinoken growled.

"Crap." Maha made a grimace.

"These guys…!" Madoi muttered.

"Don't you have a defective creation to put down to rest?"

"Freeze Man wasn't a defective creation and it doesn't involve me anymore, Regal! Stop trying to waltz away from the core of the matter, will you? YOU _WILL _AMMEND FOR YOUR SINS!"

"I'd like to see you trying, Father."

"Grghtxht!" He growled something undecipherable.

"Oi! _Danna_! Stop provoking Wily – sama!" Hinoken scowled.

"_You! Don't fool around_!" Count Elec hissed.

"This guy IS stubborn!" Madoi complained.

"We do not want you to start a fight!" Maha warned.

"Hmpf… Clowns who still think they can regain their past glory…"

"W-WHAT?" They all complained.

"Does that include ME too?" Wily grumbled.

"Who knows?" He taunted with a smug grin.

"By all the… I'm telling you AGAIN! What if you had a son? Would you still think it'd be fun to see him killed by a "Darkloid"? No! No – one would, Regal! You're just aiming to fuel hatred and grudge but we're not that stupid! So you will start doing something useful like restoring damage done to facilities and the city's Cyber World!"

"Hmpf. What the "Darkloids" destroyed was their choice."

"But you provided the means! You're also guilty of inciting them into general and savage destruction!" Wily signaled him.

"I thought the "Darkloids" had a will of their own?" He shrugged.

"There we go again! Don't ESCAPE THE POINT OF THE TALK!"

"Well then… Was there a point to begin with or it's all rhetoric?"

"REGAL! YOU'RE ABOUT TO REGRET ANNOYING ME! FOR REAL!"

"Prove it, Father." He challenged.

Wily rummaged on his bag and took out a simplistic brownish and grayish PET: he inputted some commands and Regal suddenly clutched his head as if he was suffering some damage.

"I installed a chip implant to monitor the evolution of your memory centers and see if you were to experience something given the gene revamping while also wanting to see if something triggered past memories… I'm now stimulating those dormant memories and maybe they'll help you see things in another manner!"

"Ugh…! Gruh…! The flight from Paris to Tokyo…! 1990…! Some stormy weather… Plane stable… Suddenly…! It splits…! Air rushes out…! We fall into the ocean…! We sink… Sink… Then…! GRUA~GH!"

He suddenly collapsed into the ground while having a grimace on his face: the others suddenly fell silent and even the "Darkloids" seemed to have been surprised by the yell.

"What was that?" Swallow Man wondered.

"Dunno. I was thinking on the battle." Cloud Man muttered.

"Sounded like fear and anger…" Yamato Man ventured.

"So it appealed to me…" Cosmo Man frowned.

"My warriors! You've done perfectly… Come back: this was to be a mere demonstration to begin with… And it'd seem they've got some steel left to them even… Amusing! Heh, heh, heh."

"Damn it! Freeze Man! Come out! We won't lose this time!"

"Hino Kenichi… Wander in hopelessness and despair!" Freeze Man taunted back.

"HINOKEN, I TELL YOU~!" Hinoken got annoyed.

"Huff, huff! Sorry if we're late… We'd already made it back to the office and making it back here in car… we got into some traffic and… Hey! What happened to Regal?"

"A heart attack?"

Charles and Davis had come back: Charles was panting and he was surprised to see what had happened to Regal.

"I'll explain later." Wily fumed.

"Heh, heh, heh. It's draw but that's because Freeze Man – sama was generous… Next time around you'll be SQUISHED!" Cloud Man taunted with a smug grin.

"Heh, heh, heh. You're slow! Too slow." Swallow Man provoked.

"Hmpf! That was barely worth it." Yamato Man chuckled.

"Let us go! Return to the ground, you herd of weaklings!"

"Che! They ran." Elec Man grumbled.

"Those guys…!" Fire Man fumed.

"What a bunch of jerks!" Colored Man complained.

"Totally!" Magic Man stomped the floor with the right foot.

"You did well, WWW Team!" Wily tried to lift their mood.

"O~h! Wily – sama praises us!" Hinoken got cocky.

"Thank you, Wily – sama." Maha bowed.

"Heh! We've improved!" Madoi blinked the right eye.

"_It's… SPLENDID!_" Count Elec grinned.

"Your hairstyle is?" Charles joked.

"_NOT YOU AGAIN! BY GEORGE AND DAMNATION!_"

"Count Elec! Sweep the floor with those amateurs on it!"

"_Oh yes! Thank you, _Wily – sama!"

He ran off into the store-room and closed the door to start practicing with his electrical guitar once again: Davis sighed and shrugged.

"Well, Dave… Did the Monolith find something worth in Titan's methane oceans or did it just find algae?" Charles joked.

"Huff. How funny, Charlie~ Team. Go partner with Ryuuto in _Pokémon XD Dark Wind: Dark Lugia_."

"Oho! I'd almost forgotten about Mr. M! And I don't mean the James Bond films guy… I mean our old Scottish pal!"

"True. I wonder his _partner_ and he are doing fine. We last had contact with them in May regarding some investigation…" Davis frowned and trailed off.

"Of course! The guy's as fast as lightning!"

"Help me lift Regal and we'll drive the guy to my place… I think that he's going to change his behavior given how I managed to stimulate the memories which "Duo" locked up… Maybe by looking again at things he'll spot the mistakes he did…" Wily requested.

"Alright. Come out, Dave, and let's use Betty."

"Jeez. Don't involve the EVA pods of _Discovery_ next… They only had these names in the novel because in _2010: Odyssey Two_ they'd been renamed as "Pod 1", "Pod 2" and "Pod 3"…" Davis rolled his eyes.

He materialized nevertheless and both Charles and he managed to lift Regal before going out: Wily sighed and Yuriko stood up.

"Good-bye."

"WWW Team! Disband!" Wily grinned.

"Roger!"

"Shah, shah, shah! And beware of flying books!"

Yuriko rolled her eyes before putting on the sunglasses and coming out with Wily as Needle Man laughed at this lame joke.

"The WWW Team's come back! Hooray!" Hinoken rallied the others.

"HORRAY~!"


	35. Chapter 35: Wondering

**Chapter 35: Wondering**

11:31 AM (Honolulu Time), Friday July the 25th…

"… Hmmm…"

"What's the matter, Nelaus?"

"Well, Isaac… I'm wondering."

"About what?"

"A lot of things."

"Really?"

Nelaus was laying face-up on one of the terrace stretchers while having just a pair of brownish bathing trunks on and sunglasses: he was obviously sun-bathing and he looked at Isaac's PET at his right.

"Yeah. Insofar all has been nice and all but… I found it odd when I heard how Twilight – _senpai_ talked with Boss about "merchandise generating profits"…"

"What's so weird with that? That's how commerce works like."

"But then Boss asked "what's the range?" and he replied "between 10 and 12" to what she said "then the profits gotta be spectacular"… Yet today I heard how he reported that the "club went down: cops got in"… And she replied "don't mind it: we've got many others"…"

"So maybe they meant to say they'd been smuggling or selling between 10 and 12 tons of drugs…?" Isaac wondered.

"Yeah, but… The other day with that Ms. Millionaire… I've got the hunch that they conveyed some non-spoken messages to each other. And even though Twilight – _senpai_ says that the others "were cretins" I feel like there's more to why Boss got locked up, see…"

"Maybe I could try to search for some data in the Net Police database?"

"That's what I was gonna suggest. Some report or some hints… I'm pretty sure they're trying to conceal the whole picture from me."

"Roger. I'll try to be discreet."

Isaac left the PET and Nelaus sighed as he picked a gaming magazine and began to read it up.

"Hmmm… So _MGS4: Guns of the Patriots_ is a huge success… No wonder: these screenshots show that the graphics are well-done, the voice acting is superb, there are infinite manners of playing and the story is extremely good too… Maybe I should check it out…"

"_Check it out!_"

"YIKES!"

"Tee, heh, heh!"

"Yikes! Boss? When did you…?"

"I'm Sneaky Purple!"

"… That sounds… lame."

Anaya had suddenly shown up from behind him and startled him before she began to make some jokes which he didn't find funny.

"So? Found a girlfriend yet?"

"How can I if…?" He began to argue.

"But when ya went to test out Millionaire's game~…" She teased.

"I didn't, Boss. And I'm just waiting for further orders."

"Furthering Ordering Girl came!"

"… Jeez." He rolled his eyes under the sunglasses.

"So? Are you gonna go to the Big Shell, rookie?"

"If that's supposed to be a joke then I don't see the point of it, Boss."

"That's because it's a fleeting pointer in the matrix, ya see~…"

"Fleeting pointer in the…? Jeez. Why can't have I some while alone and in peace? I was having a good time here and Boss came to spoil it up."

"Tee, heh, heh. I'm Spoiler Girl."

"Please…"

"So! What's your assessment on… eh… those youngsters?"

"Huh? Hikari Netto and Rock Man? Well… They're not bad but I've only had two encounters so…" Nelaus muttered.

"Ah. I see…"

"And not like I know much about them except for their merits… But they're just another "Net Police" member…"

"Correct, correct…" She grinned.

"Huh? Did Boss win the summer lottery or what? You look in a good mood or, rather, an amused mood…"

"Well! Ya can say that, yeah… It'd seem Kranos got a bright idea but he's not talking about what it is yet… Maybe we're gonna rob the gold at Fort Knox and blame Gold-finger! Tee, heh, heh."

"I don't know who Gold-finger is…" Nelaus muttered.

"He expects you to dance and crumble and rise!"

"Sure, sure."

"Man! What's with that dryness? Is there nothing thrilling in life to look forward to or what?" She questioned.

"I feel unimpressed at these joking attempts. Maybe it's something I've ended up developing from being exposed to them so often."

"OK, I see the deal. So? Have you cut a deal with Dealing Guy?"

"D-Dealing Guy? Please… Boss! Gimme a break!"

"Summon Break Man from the dead and he'll grant you."

"I doubt there's any "Break Man" out there to begin with, Boss."

"Then ask Mr. Kent to lift a car and send it flying to the troposphere."

"I don't know any Mr. Kent either! I need to research and build up a database with short summaries for future reference!" He protested while being rather exasperated.

"So? Have you tried to reach the white world?"

"What? What white world? A fantasy setting?"

"Oh? Well? Who knows? Well. I'm off to pulling Marco's ears. Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh… _Laugh and grow clever_!"

"… Phew. You can come out already."

"There was nothing in the Net Police and now I remember it was the Louisiana authorities the ones who imprisoned them so I'll go look over there next… But there was a message hidden there which is intended for you and me from someone named "Mr. X."… It could be that Vadous guy even…" Isaac reported as he popped out.

"What does it say?"

"Very short… "Not that all glitters is gold: look behind the curtain and you will know what is concealed. Mr. X." … I guess he means there's some trick or tale somewhere which we have to figure out…"

"Alright… Make sure to mask your exits too…"

"Don't worry… I've got an ability to do that…"

"Good."

Isaac left again and Nelaus began to pace around the balcony while looking distracted.

_I know I've had to train from zero and all but… Despite that… I feel like I'm supposed to do something else… Vadous built his crime-fighting organization, Twilight – senpai explored Time-Space and Kanou Shade trailed him to try to assess his potential danger before trying to warn others not to fall for the traps he'd set up… This last portion I got because Blood Shadow snuck some data in the PET back when the Electel mansion duel… But I feel that there's more to it… Something behind the deceit…_

"… Welcome to Mike's Crazy Home Made Show!"

"MIKE~!"

"Shaddup, Bill! It's my turn to shine!"

"You moron! Lower the volume or they'll hear this from outside of the island too!"

"Ya would need to be 5 meters from here to listen it!"

"Mike again…?" Nelaus sighed.

"And introducing Vincent "Red" and his mottoes!"

"Not Vincent "Red"… I know we tried to use those to force Iris to confess but she didn't and it was a failure… They were so… random! They had no logic or order to them to begin with!" He grumbled.

"Welcome~! I wanted to give ya a present with legs but instead I only managed a present with hands! Hah, hah, hah!"

"What the hell is that…?"

"MIKE~!"

"Oh heck. Platinum. Thought you'd gone out with your girlfriend…"

"I don't have a girlfriend you moron! Shut that thing off! NOW!"

"Ya guys never had any sense of group humor…"

"Deadly Pandora isn't about kidding! We've got a reputation to protect when dealing with customers! Now go codfish!" Platinum fumed.

"Phew. About time…!"

"Not so fast! I'm going to deliver a delivery delivering delivery~!" Vincent managed to add at the last moment.

"SHUT UP!"

"Go out with the girlfriend!"

"Man. This place is just turning crazier with each passing day!"

07:07 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 26th…

"… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Crap."

"So! Our wandering neophyte found a magnet?"

"What the heck does that mean?"

"Ask your intelligent instructor, neophyte."

"Look: I didn't come to fight."

"Oh?"

"… Guess I've not zero credibility and no wonder…"

"Heh, heh, heh. Feeling lost without a field instructor?"

"Oh come on."

Isaac had happened to stumble upon Shadow Man during some research in a Cyber World somewhere: Shadow Man began to joke and despite that Isaac tried to avoid the fight he seemed to realize he wasn't believable by now.

"Go! Garuu!"

"Garuu~!"

"Come, foul monsters summoned from Where I Feel Like It."

"HUH? That was… Grah! TOO RANDOM!"

A horde of Garuu Viruses ran towards Shadow Man who made a joke as he calmly drew up his _katana_: Isaac didn't find it funny and he rushed to reach a server close by and try to access its data.

"…There's nothing with the "IQ" tag… "Anaya Maria"… Nothing… "Izono Marco"… Nothing… "Twilight"? Ah! Here it is: a report which is updated from time to time… This could do… Who wrote it? Vadous! And he submitted a copy to this backup Net Police server… This could help us figure out what the whole business is around… I'm wondering…"

"Wondering of Wonder and Wonders." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Shadow Man…!" Dark Miyabi grumbled.

"So! Was this campaign's start too early for your taste, _shogun_?"

"GRHTJXTH!" He growled something undecipherable.

"… Now… I need a way to shake that guy off… Guess I'll have to beat him a bit and then pull out while I can… But I'm still wondering what's being hidden from us… Maybe they fear that if we knew it we would abandon the ship rather than sink with it…? I'm getting that hunch…" Isaac muttered alone next.

"So! Man Come From Where Else If Nowhere At All."

"W-W-WHAT?" He uttered in disbelief.

"SHADOW MAN!" Miyabi was pissed off by now.

"Ah. It'd seem Eris is at work amongst us. Or is it the "Millennium Rod" which is being used by "Yami" Marik?"

"You've been seeing too much _Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters_…!"

"Yo and behold! Kage Bunshin!"

"I knew it! But! Explosive Ring!"

Isaac dropped back in the ground and, when he touched, it a purplish ring of energy formed around him and quickly expanded across the ground as columns of purple energy shot skywards from all around its diameter: one caught Shadow Man and his doubles and hit all of them including the real one: Shadow Man merely warped in mid-air and threw a _shuriken_ at Isaac's right heel: he grumbled and tugged it off but he suddenly found the guy aiming the _katana_ at his forehead from very close by: Isaac merely narrowed his eyes and his body began to glow with a golden glow before an explosion ensued and it knocked Shadow Man away to hit against a nearby wall.

"Huff. The guy's fond of "Self-Destruct" like some Pokémon… But that only makes it more thrilling! Come! Thrilling thrill of thrills!"

"SHADOW MAN! STOP WITH YOUR STUPID RHYMES!"

"Jeez. I gotta agree with Dark Miyabi over there… Sigma is a bad influence for you, Shadow Man. But you already were the type to chuckle and all before you got deleted too…" Isaac sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So? Are you going to bring forth the Millennium Ring?"

"I dunno what that is. I haven't seen any _anime_ and these techniques were already programmed into me back in 2003."

"So they last until the _Ruby & Sapphire_ time… Heh, heh, heh. Maybe you'll need to hack _Platinum_ and figure out Giratina's move-set."

"Sure, sure. Sonic Fists!"

"What!"

Isaac formed two detached fists which shot forward at a mad speed while building up a Sonic Boom on their front: both hit Shadow Man and the Sonic Booms inflicted two cuts on his body too: Shadow Man recoiled but merely chuckled under his breath.

"So! Soldier – sama will invite you a party?"

"Soldier – sama? Who's that?"

"Search Man."

"I thought the guy was dry and impersonal to begin with."

"When in battle… But when he gets in the mood… Heh, heh, heh. The guy's behavior amuses me, it really does…"

"Guess that. Energy Dance!"

"Oh?"

Isaac began to dance upon his axis as curved climbing swirls of golden energy began to surround him and then formed the shape of a DNA sequence: a golden-colored Dream Virus formed there and suddenly warped to drop atop Shadow Man and trap him beneath its weight: Shadow Man growled and tried to cut off the legs but it didn't work.

"By all the… It's really made of gold!"

"Yeah. It's a sculpture incapable of attacking but useful to trap opponents below it given its weight and mass…" He grinned.

"But… You're forgetting to shave."

"HUH? Forgetting to shave? Net Navis can't grow beards! I know Twilight – sama is a human who turned his body into cybernetic data to then become a Net Navi but he lost the ability to generate beard ever since then to begin with!" He argued back.

Something suddenly slashed an sword across his back from behind and he turned around to see a legion of "Kage Bunshin" units there: Isaac cursed and began to shoot them with a Mega Cannon Battle Chip: he didn't see the real one warping out beneath the statue and hitting him from behind by making a vertical cut.

"Ever heard of recycling? Paralysis Spell!"

"Uack! A bug in the processor which makes it believe… the Navi's gone into shutdown mode…! But… My defenses will… OVERCOME THAT! CRAFTY TRICK! Hrugra~h! Antibody Program: Start!"

"Too bad, neophyte. It'd seem you forgot the after-shave lotion in the car last time around and Daniel Craig's picked it…"

"Shaddup! Bug Bomb!"

Isaac formed a grayish sphere with some yellow square dots on it but Shadow Man merely formed a "Kage Bunshin" to allow the bomb to pass through him and hit a magma puddle where it burnt up: 10 _shuriken_ suddenly hit Isaac from behind one after the other and Shadow Man dropped behind him to place the _katana_ right of his neck.

"So! You were a neophyte in the end, eh? Man Appeared Out Of Your Very Worst Nightmares And Hallucinations Brought Forth By Vincent "Red" And General Campestre?"

"That's… IMPOSSIBLY LONG! How could you say all of that without getting stuck half-way through? I'd never could!"

"When you feel like it… _Setze jutges d'un jutjat mengen fetge d'un penjat_, I'd rather say…"

"Catalan? "Sixteen jury judges eat liver from a hangman."… GROSS!"

"Don't blame me. I dunno why it's a popular tongue-twister but it's a fact and I didn't make it up. Mr. Denpa let it out once…"

"I'm off this crazy city!"

He produced a bright silver flash and vanished so Shadow Man calmly sheathed the _katana_ on its sheath while shrugging.

"Go back to your turf, Oh Neophyte Come Out From The Battle Frontier."

"Sha-dow-Man!" Miyabi hissed.

"Ah. _Shogun_. We've won: Narita's ours to sack and plunder."

"I'm fed up with these _sengoku_ references: I know my family dates back from that era but…! Grah! Someone needs to psycho-analyze you and Sigma, I swear." Miyabi was exasperated by now.

"The Swearing Swear of Swears!"

"Dr. Wily…! You and I will have to TALK…!" Miyabi grumbled.

"Talk about how the _curry_ has gotten better in these 3 years?"

"Huff. I'm off: come back when you're not in the mood to troll me."

Miyabi shut down his line while Shadow Man inwardly chuckled: he failed to spot a silhouette looking from a side-alley.

_Heh! One day you lowlife and the great me will compete to see who has reaped more souls… Our organization will soon overcome this pitiful coalition the age of which has already expired! The world shall be filled with terror and chaos… And we shall rule it all!_

"… Hmmm? Was there someone there…? No…? My imagination…?"

Shadow Man had looked towards the spot but there wasn't anyone.

_Something in the air stinks… I've got that hunch… What's going on?_


	36. Chapter 36: Saints & hands

**Chapter 36: "Saints & hands"**

21:21 PM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 27th…

"… Hum. Isaac seems to be unlocking new abilities with each passing day given Shadow Man's footage… What do you think, Omega?"

"He's rising very fast. Maybe he could become an opponent worth my time even…"

"By the way! Did you manage to fix the damned system?"

"Yeah. I altered it so that you still kept your normal avatar instead of being forcibly installed into a game sprite."

"Did you make sure to lock the guy there, in the capsule?"

"Yeah. And I removed the power core manually too."

"Fine. Let the guy stay there until the 1st. That should be enough of a lesson to teach the guy I'm serious and this is not the type of thing you can waltz outta from by saying "oh, my bad"…"

Vadous and Omega were discussing inside of the Subspace HQ's command bridge room and both looked serious: Vadous was impatiently tapping the armrests while Omega calmly stood in front of him while folding his arms and looking calm.

"He fished out the report on Twilight… It includes some info which Kanou Shade mailed with his farewell message…"

"Yeah… "Cousin Vadous. I and Kuroshiro – kun have taken a decision: we will be exiling ourselves from this Time-Space. As long as Twilight is around then there'll be no peace for us and especially Kuroshiro – kun: I don't want him to end up becoming such a cruel person. Thus we will go to his "origin", to his Time-Space… And there we will carve our future: so this is my farewell. We didn't get to talk much but I don't mind it. Knowing you then… You'll surely be able to push back that guy. _Good luck._"… And they're still there: maybe they've sent a monitor to check on what's happened here and decided that it's not safe to come back… It's been almost a year by now…" Vadous quoted with a sigh.

"By the way: did we get to figure out what happened in January with that "Ancient Mansion Incident" in Kobe? I know it didn't involve any of us but the police report concluded someone was using the dismantled club by the same name as scapegoat while acting solo…"

"I think I know who did it: that "Empress" girl who worked for that Sidier guy and that "Emperor S" guy… She knew Saito was too protected and that their friends also were so she went and picked someone unrelated so as to not to draw attention… I think the victim didn't suffer post-traumatic sequels and managed to continue with his life…"

"So that's how it was." Omega calmly rubbed his chin.

"Hullo. Sorry to butt in…"

"Ah. Zero. I was expecting you."

"I've got some news… Anaya had Isaac and Nelaus participate in the "Survival Seven" game and had a chat with Millionaire… A guy named Drill Man meddled around too…" Zero explained with a shrug.

"Why would she chat with Millionaire? I remember about her even though I never met her… Did she want some favor?" Vadous wondered.

"No. Old times' chat…" Zero corrected.

"Oh? Old times? They knew each other from somewhere before? Maria deleted a lot of data on her life and Marco's…"

"Boston College…"

"Boston College, huh… No wonder… At least I figure her mother was the CEO for a perfume flask producing company with lots of profits… And Marco's father was manager of an electronic components store which was very popular and which sold all kind of loose components: capacitors, resistors, diodes, LEDs…" Vadous wasn't too surprised by the report.

"Well. Isaac beat most of the game before Drill Man meddled around because he'd been hired as industrial spy… He gave the guy a beating and he fled before Anaya and Millionaire had some little chat and then parted ways… They just wanted to meet each other again… And, also…"

"What else?" Vadous calmly asked next.

"It'd seem Millionaire had been tagging with Anaya in "dominatrix" back in college days but grew bored of it and quit." He added.

"Ah. How fortunate for us." Vadous muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Guess that. Snake Man actually brought it up as an idea to fuel her up but you can't blame the guy because he'd just heard that it was "thrilling" and "fashionable" but she shot the idea down…"

"Anything else?" Omega asked.

"Well… Thunder Man approached me and told me they'd shut down a new business Anaya had tried to fuel up but since the grunts there were rather blunt and _amateurs_ then… They got caught on the act and the crowd beat them before the police took them away… There was a court in which the old mayor was involved and found guilty of tax evasion, collaboration with the criminals and corruption… That project of trying to tear down the Downtown of Heaven's Town was found to be filled with money which some avid constructing companies who were eager to build luxury hotels next to the "amusement park"…"

"Hmpf. Enzan – kun mistrusted the guy and eventually submitted data to the police to arrest him when he was caught red-handed back in October, 2004… Had it coming… Anyway… Has the "Committee" reported anything new either?"

"A "Synchro Chip" was stolen from the Science Labs last evening by Freeze Man in person… They must want Nelaus to gain that ability and have him participate in "CF" battles…"

"No wonder." Omega wasn't surprised.

"I'm wondering… Maybe the abilities Isaac has will be restricted in "Cross Fusion" mode because they would take a toll on Nelaus' body… Anaya couldn't have predicted it back in early 2003 because "Cross Fusion" wouldn't be invented until two years from then…"

"Good point, Zero. But he could still use "Program Advances"…"

"At least those are predictable." Zero argued back.

"Another good point… I should've thought of that…"

"And the guy was smug enough to leave a note saying "I'll freeze you and abandon you in the South Pole"…" Zero fumed.

"As smug as always, huh?" Omega wasn't surprised.

"Sure thing… Did you fix the mess?"

"Yeah. And the guy will never forget this lesson either."

"Alright. By the way, I checked with Blues and Search Man too… Blues told me he'd had to repel 5 attacks by industrial spies who seem to have been hired by the same guys Drill Man was and Search Man had to fight back 7 attacks by Middle Eastern militia…"

"So they're trying to sprout up some headaches, huh?"

"Prism Man also narrated how 11 hackers employed by the Choina Secret Service coordinated an strike against the HQ but they got repelled because their Navis were pretty cheap and they couldn't use anything else which wasn't Cannon or Sword Battle Chips… They'd managed to allocate a Mettool for each but they were no big deal… It'd seem they're having them operate in a rather tight budget."

"They must think this branch is a waste of their time and that they don't have time for some dispute with Japan despite the bad feeling between each other stretching back from WWII…"

"That's gotta be why, then… I also dropped by the lab the "Professor" had but it's empty and building up dust… I'm still surprised at the scale of the place… Guess there were some naturally existing catacombs or caves which he built over using robots I discovered there and there… Robots which surely Wily developed… Speaking of Wily…"

"Did he make some progress with Regal after he did that of bringing up the locked memories? Charles did briefly tell me about that."

"I wouldn't be so confident but…" Omega trailed off.

"He said "some initial progress"… It'd seem that he's starting to slowly admit he was being too cruel and Wily is showing him how he was just repeating his own mistakes… Maybe there's still room for a proper apology to Hikari – hakase but it'll be rather tense… Maybe having Lezareno or Colonel Talos close by would do if Hikari – hakase lets his emotions take a hold on him and… You know."

"Hum. Yeah. You've got a point there too… I'll speak with them. Have you met with Quick Man?"

"The guy was investigating some corruption plot between constructing companies involved in the project to urbanize the valley and the local governor which got arrested back then… The project got frozen and they got told to build on other cities which needed new facilities due to the increase in population but not before re-seeding all vegetation they'd torn down… Wood Man was helping along with Skull Man… Shark Man was having a look around Oosaka Harbor to make sure there's no smuggling involved there..." Zero listed.

"Good. What about Shadow Man?"

"He's roaming around backup servers since he suspects those could be hit as well… The "WWW Team" got mobilized by Wily and they are hunting down info there and there… Davis is reinforcing the firewalls of the "Justice Council" and said he needed to upgrade his processor too…"

"No wonder: if he wants to pull more "PAs" then he'll need to allocate some more processor to them." Omega calmly rubbed his chin and wasn't surprised.

"Well. I guess that's all for now… I'm off to chasing more info or trying to get a glimpse of those guys… Stay on guard."

"Huff. Twilight…! He can do better than this: he's been TOO quiet as of late and I don't think he's spending his time training those two. The guy must be up to something: more rip-offs? The whole Bat-man villain gallery or what? Now that would be LAME." Vadous fumed.

"Hmpf… Let them come… I'll simply cut them up into pieces…"

07:57 AM (Honolulu Time), Sunday July the 27th…

"… Alright. We'll project a "Dimensional Area" in this room and then you must insert the "Synchro Chip" inside while yelling "Cross Fusion" to start up the sequence… If the "Synchronism" rate is correct then there shouldn't be any problems…"

"Roger, Twilight – _senpai_."

"We're ready."

"Tee, heh, heh. Show it to me…"

"This could be interesting."

"It will be interesting, Mr. Izono. Excuse me for the smoke."

"Don't mind it, Mr. Opoulos."

Nelaus was standing in a large storeroom inside of the "Deadly Pandora" HQ and having a "Synchro Chip" ready: Yoru Yami was giving him final instructions while Anaya giggled, Izono was dry and Opoulos was amused as he smoke another cigar.

"So! Kranos. Are you going to end up importing Cuban cigars like Big Boss used to do~?" Anaya teased.

"It could be." He calmly replied without beating an eyebrow.

"So? What's your terrific strategy about?"

"Oh? That? I expect to be able to pull it off by next week: I wouldn't like to spoil anything but it'll be… Thrilling." He inwardly chuckled.

"My, my. Tease Man strikes at us from the NNE flank, Marco!"

"I knew that, my lady." He replied in a stiff tone of voice.

"Stiff Boy shows up through the evil backdoor of bad boys."

"That was from the college time." He looked like he'd never particularly liked that silly rhyme.

"Good memory, yeah. Maybe Memory Monster is stirring it up?"

"Huff. I'm starting to be fed up, really, Anaya – san."

"Tee, heh, heh."

"Start!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Oho! It's begun."

The sphere of energy formed around Nelaus' body and the four presents shielded their eyes as it began to dim.

"Excellent!"

The "Cross Fusion" design for Nelaus had gone through some redesigns compared to Isaac's normal form.

To begin with, his helmet kept the blue coloring yet it had gained three square dots on the ear-pads and on the middle of the forehead which were colored golden, crystal and silver from left to right: a black matrix filled the rest of the helmet's surface.

His eyes remained the same and some blonde hair popped out behind the helmet.

The emblem remained unchanged and so did the armor protecting the base of his neck: yet, on the space below the emblem and before the waist belt (unchanged) the alphabet letters "S" and "E" colored in a platinum color had been drawn: the "S" was on the left and the "E" to the right of the vertical line splitting the body in two.

The shoulder design hadn't changed and the arms' patterns remained the same yet his forearms armor was different: the armor over the wrist was transparent purple in color and the Alphabet "N" letter colored green was set over it: the space over the palm had a black circle which contained a small red dot in the middle surrounded by different scales of red from dull red to crimson red.

The fingers had transparent red rings set on each one which glowed with a dull red glow.

His waist belt design hadn't been altered and his legs' drawings and knee guards were still the same.

His boots had slightly changed because they now had red and black matrixes across their whole surface and they included those "eyes" like in the space over the hands and set on both sides of each boot.

"… Wow! So this is "Cross Fusion"?" He wondered.

"Sure. I'm everywhere and nowhere." Isaac joked.

"And you're seeing through sensors?"

"Correct. And they tell me the HP values plus the integrity of the "Cross Fusion"… Remember! Any bickering between us might break it down like Hikari Netto and Rock Man found out way over 3 years ago during the day in which Bubble Man hit the Waterworks… Attacks to the chest emblem can lead to the break-up of it and the "Synchro Chip" too… And consecutive blows would deplete the HP values too and it would break down as well like "Darkloid" Desert Man did on that day of the factory trap…" Isaac reminded him.

"OK, Mr. History Teacher."

"Jeez. Just remember something else: all of my abilities are disabled in this mode because they'd take a toll on your physical strength… We'll have to resource to "Program Advances" and normal Battle Chips… You've got 25 of them but thanks to the "Folder Back" which Twilight – sama designed to re-load all 25 Battle Chips then… You could use all of them without running out because "Folder Back" would show up again."

"Let's try on something!"

"Try on those targets."

Yoru Yami snapped his right hand's fingers and some straw dummies showed up: "CF" Nelaus headed for them.

"Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword!"

"Dream Sword!"

"Time to be sliced up!"

"Eat this!"

"CF" Nelaus sliced four of the dummies up by swinging the Dream Sword horizontally and then cut another vertically as well: 6 new dummies formed and "CF" Nelaus chuckled.

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

The blast destroyed more dummies because he slowly swung it towards the right to attack more enemies at the same time.

"Enough static targets: let's switch to moving."

12 Net Navis having a hostile look to them and wielding electrical bludgeons advanced towards him.

"Program Advance! Hell's Burner, Triple Slot In!"

"Wide Burner!"

"CF" Nelaus formed a large flamethrower weapon which shot a blast of flames: the blast expanded and kept on pouring out so it burnt out all of the Navis who were about to attack: Yoru Yami looked amused at the results and calmly clapped to summon 24 of them this time around but "CF" Nelaus didn't lose his cool.

"Program Advance! Wave Arm, Triple Slot In!"

"Power Wave!"

"CF" Nelaus hit the ground with both fists and two shockwaves spread forward parallel to his main body and which took out 16 of the Navis because they'd formed 3 rows of 8 units each one: the remaining 8 formed a circle around him.

"Battle Chip, Prism, Mega Cannon! Double Slot In!"

"CF" Nelaus calmly formed the Prism and threw it into the air before shooting the Mega Cannon at it: the beams bounced off it.

"Say "bye" and "bye-bye", you guys." He made a pun.

"Jeez."

The spreading beams hit the remaining 8 opponents and took out them out with ease: Yoru Yami looked satisfied.

"Not bad for the first attempt… You'll have time to polish it in the days to come… I'm a bit busy as of late preparing a little surprise which Mr. Opoulos requested of me…"

"So you're in the teasing club too, eh, Twilight? Well. I don't mind: just get your work done and tell us when it's ready. I'm off to playing MGS4 in Hard Mode and trying to go for stamina battle… I want to start digging up stuff there and there…" Anaya grinned.

"Hmmm… Maybe you could use the empty adjacent storeroom to train with the guys too… Given how it's sound-proof then you wouldn't be bothering anyone and the "DA" would seal it off to prevent damage to its structure…" He muttered.

"Very wise." Opoulos grinned.

"Indeed." Izono dully muttered back.

"And now… _Cantos y manos! Santos y manos! Largos y manos_!"

"Mike and Vincent AGAIN?" Opoulos grumbled.

"I dunno where he gets his ideas… "Songs & hands! Saints & hands! Long & hands!"… His Mexican Vodka must make him believe he's a singer this time around…" Isaac sighed.

"That guy and his obsession with rhymes and hands… They should send him an articulated fake hand by post mail and he'd faint: now that would snap him out of it…" Yoru Yami muttered with some annoyance.

"Whatever. Project Terror is about to begin. Heh, heh, heh."

_You guys go ahead and laugh but… I'm starting to reach for the "truth"…_

_And we'll figure out your plans for us… We won't become mere puppets!_


	37. Chapter 37: Hijack

**Chapter 37: Hijack**

08:13 AM (Japan Time), Saturday August the 2nd…

"… Fua~h… That was a good night's sleep."

"Zzzz… Maha Special… For me… Hmmm…"

"Netto – kun…! Ah. Whatever. Let's let him rest another little bit."

"Good morning, Saito – kun."

"Thanks, Blood. Is Sigma still under punishment?"

"Boss decided to extend it until the 5th."

"Well. He got it coming."

"Of course."

Saito woke up and climbed out of his bed while he watched how Netto was dreaming of Maha Specials given his muttering and voice: he rolled his eyes and then sat down in front of the computer to talk with Blood Shadow who was calm and collected.

"By the way… Has anything happened as of late?" He asked.

"The 4 jerks went into Portugal and caused some ruckus before splitting and heading for Majorca, Monaco, Vatican City and Sicily… They then vanished altogether leaving "bunshins" to cause some ruckuses as they erased their traces…" He described with a sigh.

"Nelaus and Isaac haven't shown up either?"

"No. Maybe they're training to see what strategies would suit their new "Cross Fusion" form a picture of which Twilight posted in a fake Twitter account which "supposedly" belonged to Bungie Studios… And started a war of speculation about "Spartan IVs", "Halo 4" and so on… Some which were more straight-headed argued that, given how _Halo 3_ was out just a year ago, they wouldn't announce the next game until at least next year when the development was more advanced…"

"Huff. The guy just loves to stir up chaos at every corner, huh?"

"Yeah. He also posted a Photoshop – edited photo of himself as Darth Sidious looking forward and signaling the viewer with a right hand finger while saying "I want YOU for the Dark Side"… But that was a parody of an old classical Ameroupe recruiting poster which said "I want YOU for Ameroupe Army"…" Blood Shadow detailed.

"The guy can't ever be original: he has to depend on other stuff he likes to rip off or recreating other things…"

"I know…"

"Fine. I'm going to have a shower and then go have some breakfast: I'll fix my bed before that and all and get changed… Maybe I can go do some jogging around the district too…"

"OK. I'll check out the email."

"Heh. _Check it out_, as Bright Man said…"

"Roger!"

Saito grinned as he picked his usual shorts and vest before opening the cupboard and picking a pair of white boxers, white socks and a white buttoned shirt with no features on it whatsoever.

"Let's go shower."

He entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him: he placed his clothes on a stool and then headed to the sink to open the tap and close it soon after washing his hands with cold water: he rubbed his face with it to shake off his sleepiness and stretched.

"It's already August… These summer vacations have flown by but I hope we can put an end to this pointless never-ending campaign… And the "Darkloids"… It'd be better if we could imprison them but I've got a hunch that they won't make it easy. Heck, if the rebuilt guys used by "Sidier" in the winter had bombs on them… But that was because they were cannon fodder and not intended to last for too long… These guys have the "Dark Generator" and that will pound us a lot… Last summer Cosmo Man drove us to our limits but now… I think that we stand a better chance."

He unbuttoned his pajama shirt and took it off followed by his pants, navy blue boxers and socks: he looked at his chest and grinned as he rubbed his nipples for about 5 seconds before heading over to the shower and opening the hot water tap.

"Ah… Feels good… Maybe we could arrange to meet with Tooru – kun today or tomorrow and do a threesome in the shower… Now that would be cool… Heh, heh, heh. I'm getting inspired…"

He grabbed his cock, which had gotten slightly aroused, and began to rub its head: he firstly turned off the tap to save water as he used his left hand to grip his balls and pull at them: he lifted the left hand and began to pinch and rub his nipples too.

"Yeah…! I want to feel Tooru – kun's penis inside of me…! And I'd be stuffing it inside of Netto – kun… Oh…!" He moaned.

He released and arched back while hissing and sounding like he enjoyed the sensation: he panted and opened the tap again to wash it off as he closed it to apply shampoo to his head: he washed it off and put on body lotion next.

"Huff. Nothing better than a morning shower to shake off sleep and feel energized for the day to come… I wonder… Does Tooru – kun have fantasies too? Or does he use the toys to stimulate himself when he feels the urge to…? I wouldn't be surprised if he did: we've done it from time to time too…" He wondered aloud.

He stepped out and dried his body with the towel before dressing up and combing his hair: he grinned and headed back into the main bedroom to store the folded pajamas under the cushion along with the socks: he arranged the bed back into normal form too.

"Let's open a bit and let the room ventilate too…" He decided with a smile.

He partially unlocked the balcony door to allow some air before heading downstairs into the living room: the breakfast had been served on the table and Haruka was watching a show involving a chef explaining typical home-made recipes.

"Good morning, Mama…"

"Oh! Saito. Dear. Good morning. Netto's still sleeping?"

"Sure."

"Alright. There you have the breakfast."

"OK. Thank you, Mama."

"Don't mind it, dear."

Saito sat on the main table and calmly began to eat his breakfast while looking outside at the sunny landscape.

"…and, to finish, a touch of vanilla as topping would… Huh?"

"Hey! You're from _Army Drilling_, right? This ain't your studio! It's the 4th floor one! Knock before coming in at least!"

"Say, something looks weird…"

"Your imagination, Ryuusuke!"

"Oh my?"

Saito turned to look at how the cook trailed off and looked past the camera and into the studio: some voices joined him and there seemed to confusion and indignation.

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…" A chuckle rang out.

"That chuckle…?" Saito frowned.

A loud animal-like sound rang out followed by several others before the feed was replaced by static without warning: some sounds rang out before the image resumed: it displayed Opoulos, Yoru Yami, Anaya and Izono proudly facing the camera.

"E~H! NO WAY!" Saito gasped.

"W-what's going on?" Haruka gasped.

"Mwah, hah, hah! You didn't seem this one coming! _Kyoudai_!"

"Sure as Hell we didn't!" Blood Shadow muttered from Saito's PET (which he'd picked up earlier).

"And it's useless to come at us! My new-gen Metal Gear RAY units surround this whole compound by now! Anything which comes closer than 30 meters will be SQUISHED!"

"Shit." Blood Shadow growled.

"The Gekkou take care of the rooftop too! And I've set up jammers to block all "DC" and "gateway" travel! Wander in despair and hopelessness: the Ark has been activated! Soon we all die!"

"He's bluffing… There's no way that he'll recreate a gigantic installation capable of creating gigantic ring worlds 10,000 km in diameter and which are designed to extinguish all sentient life in the Milky Way…"

"And now… The Precursors will rise and exact their revenge!"

"Huff! I dunno where he got that from and I don't care about it either."

"The Demon Tribe will soon rule the surface world while the underground is united to form the "Secret Empire" once again! IQ – sama shall rule them all through their associates behind me…"

"So he doesn't want to spoil "IQ – sama" is Anaya, huh?"

"You still haven't caught, you PLEBEIANS watching the enslaving box of metal and evil?"

"Enslaving box of metal and evil… How original." Saito groaned.

"Come out!"

The four "Darkloids" and Freeze Man materialized and directed smug faces at the cameras.

"We're the coalition of "Neo Gospel" and "Deadly Pandora": and no – one can stand up to our might! And soon… Through this building's systems the world shall… be flooded with "Noise"! Signal noise, I mean!"

"Shit. And take out all major equipment depending on wave signals."

"Dear!" Haruka gasped.

"And soon enough… All this "Noise" will crystallize into "Crimson"… The "Noise Waves" will be generated… This "Crimson" will fly out of Earth and accumulate in deep space… And give rise to "Meteor G" and its "Meteor Server"!"

"Future knowledge, I guess." Saito calmly guessed.

"Sounds like it, alright."

"But before that General Campestre will give out the signal to start the _revolución_ in Mexico, kick out Calderón, place Vincent "Red" and turn it into a major Communist confederation… The United States of Mexico and this time it'll be for real!" He grinned.

"Oh heck. Not Vincent again!"

"Let me enlighten you with a Choina Sage's proverbs!"

"And now Dragon – san!"

"Ahem, ahem! "Oh great Binding Bond of Despair! Oh small Splitting Lace of Hopelessness! Oh middle Wrapping Chain of Anger! Let Chaos be born and let the World be ruled by Chaos!"… Hah!"

"Is that really a sage's proverb?" Haruka looked skeptical, for once.

"No. It's a cook who is always day-dreaming and prints the first motto he finds without looking at what it says."

"What's going on? I hear Twilight's voice!"

Netto rushed downstairs still on his pajamas and looking nervous and confused at what was going on.

"Well… They've taken over the DNN, Netto – kun." Saito summarized with a sigh.

"NO WAY!"

"And surrounded it with new-gen Metal Gear RAY units… Plus "Gekkou" units too… This isn't going to be a walk into the park."

"By all the…" Netto cursed.

"So long!"

The signal got cut and static filled the TV screen again: Netto's jaw had hit the floor by now and Saito rolled his eyes.

"Guess I'll have to contact Commander Omega and try to see if Boss has formulated some plan or assessed how things are over there… We need a strategy and soon… Commander Omega, sir?"

"Yeah. I've seen it and Boss is cursing in French."

"Another stress attack?"

"Obviously. I'm going to restore Sigma: we'll need him to fight those 5 guys there and Twilight…"

"Roger, sir."

"Call the others and tell them to get fresh: today is gonna be one of those long days, I'm afraid…"

"Say, sir… Nelaus and Isaac didn't show there, sir."

"Yeah. Maybe they had another role assigned to them: they could be dropping by there to try to showcase Isaac's fighting abilities too so tell Rock Man to be sharp and to wake up Hikari with cold water."

"I'm already awake, Omega! No need for that."

"I'd rather say you should wash your face, Hikari, before you try to do anything. And don't take 1 hour to eat breakfast either. I'm not making sarcasm: I'm just telling you that they won't wait for you to finish having breakfast to strike."

"Sure, sure…" Netto grumbled.

"I'll go contact the others."

"Roger, sir."

"Keep your eyes open at all times and check the firewall over again."

"Roger, sir. By your orders, sir."

"Over and out."

The line disconnected and Blood Shadow sighed: Netto returned upstairs while Saito sat on a chair and looked resigned.

"This time I guess we can't go alone just like that… We'll need to bring a lot of "Cross Fusion" users and try to beat all those RAY units before we can fight the "Darkloids" and Twilight to try to beat them."

"What villains!" Haruka muttered.

"Totally. I'd risen thinking today was going to be one of those nice and calm August days but this happened instead. I seem to be a magnet for trouble even."

"Oh no! Don't blame yourself, Saito, dear."

"Saito – kun: Roll – san is calling."

"Roll – chan? Patch her through."

"Oh my." Haruka looked amused.

"Mama!" Saito protested.

"Sorry. I thought she was going to ask if you were going to the front."

"Wasn't that obvious? Or did you think there'd be the "I'll be waiting forever for you" _cliché_?" He looked slightly annoyed.

"Sorry. Sometimes…" She giggled.

"This isn't funny, Mama, and never was. Anyway! Blood. Please patch the call in and let's wrap up this deal already." He sighed.

"Saito – kun! I just saw the broadcast! How terrible!"

"I know, Roll – chan. But we're going to gather the whole of the "defenders" and fight back like the whole of the "Justice League" had been gathered to fight aliens."

"Oh my! Too bad I can't do "Cross Fusion" yet but maybe one day…"

"Well. Oriol did tell us your "alternate" did achieve that ability but in the end seldom used it."

"I see! Maybe I'll be lucky too."

"Sure. You've got the potential and your "Synchronism" with Meiru – chan must be pretty high anyway." He encouraged.

"Ah! I like how that sounds." Meiru came into the line.

"Maybe I could ask Papa to lend you a Synchro Chip and do a trial of the system in the Science Labs one day…" Saito invited.

"Good. By the way, is the Sleeping Lil Bro Prince making honor to his Honorable and Holy title?" She made a joke.

"Oi! Meiru – chan! I heard that!"

Netto rushed in once he'd dressed up and looked annoyed while Meiru directed her classical grin at him.

"And I didn't find it funny how you somehow managed to slip out of my questioning by swapping yourself with a skull."

"HUH? Ah! When Flash Man made his debut… Well… I did manage to pick it from a nearby box and it was going to be used for the new Natural Sciences skeleton…" Netto admitted.

"So? Why did you try to elude me?"

"Jeez! I was supposed to keep it secret: that I was and am a "Net Savior", you see! Commissioner Kifune ordered me! Not like I had any choice on the matter!" Netto protested back.

"Ah! An order from Mr. Universe?"

"Oi! Show some respect for Commissioner Kifune. He's a nice person and so is Meijin – san!"

"Speaking of Meijin – san: did he upgrade to Mejin – dono?" She made a joke on the spot.

"I don't think so and he'd just say "_dono wa iranai_"…" Netto grumbled.

"Some news, guys… There are 12 units out there… So we could go like this: the 3 of us, the Net Savior trio, Shadow Man and Davis… And then we'd give "Copy Roids" to Thunder Man, Quick Man, Skull Man, Wood Man and Shark Man… That would make 13… Boss is going to get into the building and Twilight will surely challenge him so… Regarding the "Darkloids" and Freeze Man… Yuriko will be helping us out there leading them outside for us to surround and overwhelm… Freeze Man will want to settle it with Zero as well…" Blood Shadow listed.

"Good! We've got a strategy ready then?" Netto grinned.

"Odd thing is… After we've checked the whole building using the cameras, Nelaus and Isaac are nowhere to be seen. Those guys must know we'll be heading there so I'm surprised he isn't there… Maybe they tasked him with something else like sabotaging antennas…"

"Sigma got woken up?"

"Yeah. We're making sure his body runs correctly and he's doing some heating up in the VR Room against a simulated Bowl Man before we head over there… The "WWW Team" will infiltrate the Cyber World and try to destroy any hostile programs too…"

"Wow. This will be a big-scale strategy indeed."

"Sure it will. Well. We depart in 45 minutes."

"Time for some breakfast!" Netto grinned.

"And for some make-up." Meiru made up another joke.

"Jeez. Meiru – chan! I'm not a fan of cross-dressing, you know!"

"Tee, heh, heh. _No pain no gain_! _Bye-bye_~!"

"So if Nelaus and Isaac aren't there… Where are they at?" Saito wondered.

"Dunno. Maybe they got lost in Easter Island!"

"That wasn't funny, Netto – kun. Just go and eat breakfast already."

_What are those two up to and where are they at? I've got a weird feeling…_


	38. Chapter 38: Cruel, overwhelming truth

**Chapter 38: Cruel, overwhelming truth**

19:19 PM (Chicago Time), Friday July the 1st…

"… So I got an email from this "Mr. X." and challenged me to come here and try to defeat some "military Navi" he has to prove if I'm worth it so Boss authorized me to come…"

"Hmmm… But I think that's a cover…"

"Yeah. They must want to tell me what we don't know already."

"Sure thing… What we've dug up insofar is worrisome. Those two had been involved in "tortures" which is defined as the act of purposely inflicting pain to others normally used to force answers out of prisoners but in this case it'd seem it was torture just for the sake of it without anything to be gained from it… Talk about pointless things."

Nelaus was walking down a street in the city.

Today he'd added a gray overcoat with a grayish hat having a black band around him and which gave him somewhat of a "retro" style.

He was holding the PET on his right hand and looked slightly concerned while Isaac was clearly having doubts.

"But… The report… It was very superficial and didn't go into details so I guess this "Mr. X", whoever they are, will fill the gaps for us."

"Yeah… 34, West Michigan Avenue… Here…?"

He reached a tall skyscraper and whistled before heading to the interphone system and studying it up.

"Floor 10, Apartment 1… Here…"

He pressed the button and gulped.

"Is that you, young Nelaus?" Someone asked.

"Y-yeah. That's me, Mr. X."

"Come in. And close the door behind you."

"R-roger."

"We're going in…!"

Nelaus opened the door after it was electronically unlocked and he stepped in before closing it behind him: the hall was decorated with marble and looked expensive.

"Wow. Mr. X. gotta be some CEO…"

"Sure thing… Let's go fetch the elevator… Incidentally… I received a tweet from Cloud Man…"

"What's the status on Japan?"

"It'd seem the "Net Police" and the others haven't moved yet but they must be preparing a counter-strategy. The "noise" broadcast has begun aimed at nearby devices but making sure that the RAY shut down their Wi-Fi capabilities to be unaffected."

"Hum. I see. Well. Maybe when we get there the tale will be over: do you think those 5 will go down with a bang?"

"That'd make them look like they won in the end so I wouldn't be surprised if they did that."

"OK… Ah. The elevator finally came… Let's get in: 10th floor."

He stepped into the elevator and it climbed but he seemed to feel a sense of claustrophobia as he looked around in a nervous manner.

"Don't worry! Elevators are VERY safe." Isaac told him.

"I knew that but it just makes me feel imprisoned…"

"Heck. There's more volume here than in your capsule."

"But I wasn't conscious of the whole volume!"

"Alright. Calm down. Don't let hysteria get the best of you."

"Guess you're right… Any new tweets?"

"Swallow Man says some of the Admin guys picked cava."

"Cava? Champagne? They feel like they've won already? Mr. Opoulos must be about to mount into unleashed anger. Let me guess: it was Mr. Pearl and Mr. Ruby… I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Gold and Mr. Silver were involved too…" Nelaus muttered.

"Cosmo Man now… Densan City is starting to feel the first effects of the "noise" with many communications impaired…"

"So they're rushing it up, huh?"

"So it'd seem. Now comes in Yamato Man : "the campaign is advancing and the enemy running for their pitiful lives"…"

"Campaign, campaign… Go play the campaign mode in some game or another, will you?" Nelaus rolled his eyes.

"And Freeze Man… "Glory to "Neo Gospel" and our business partners "Deadly Pandora"!"… Typical, I'd say."

PING!

"Ah! Here it is: the 10th floor."

Nelaus stepped out and looked rather relieved to be in the hall: he spotted that the apartment door was open so he stepped in and closed it behind him.

"Mr. X?"

"Come to the living room… And please take off the hat: it's bad manners to have a hat inside of a house."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Come into the living room. There is much to talk. And I have listened through rock, metal and time. Now I will talk and you will listen." The man replied with a hint of amusement.

"W-what?"

"Heh. I just feel like quoting someone…"

"Oh. You scared me, _Danna_…"

"It wasn't my intention."

Nelaus walked into the unlit living room and spotted "Mr. X" sitting in an armchair set in front of another yet the angle in which his armchair was placed helped him conceal his upper body while the other armchair was fully illuminated.

"Sorry for the setting. But I like turning off all light at evening to have a better view out there…"

"Alright… So… What did those two really do to end up in jail? I don't believe that of the "got soft" and "got selfish" tale anymore after seeing the overall report on Twilight…" Nelaus asked he sat down.

"To begin with… Do you know what "sex" is?"

"Yeah. When a male and a female mate to create a baby and give birth to a new human…" He calmly replied.

"Well. Yes. That's the correct answer, a simply encyclopedic answer but that it doesn't picture the reality out there…"

"How so?"

"Nowadays "sex" has become something popular, exciting and massive: you can find "clubs" and "shops" out there and MILLIONS of websites with imagery and videos… There are many categories and such… So as to not to get off-trail... The main point to sex is that both man and woman experience "pleasure" from it… An experience which makes they feel good and is exciting… Yet… There are some who want to feel it otherwise and be one-sided… To deny the other the pleasure…"

"That's very selfish, isn't it?" Nelaus frowned.

"Yes. But it goes further… The other person is generally immobilized and then inflicted pain or attacked with some tools which cause their sensations to overload yet, given how they have been denied of the "release", the strain builds up on their body and mind… And they are abused of too… Sometimes humiliated as well… That's named "sadism" and a "sadist" is the type of person who feels good harming others."

"So then… Boss… Eh… No. Anaya was a sadist?"

"Correct. Now, I admit that there "masochists", which are humans who like being bullied upon and it makes them feel good… Maria, though, just aimed to "rule" over young boys and girls of your age and younger and have they become mere flesh to be exploited… Deprived of sight and talk, they were abused of all across the globe but especially in Japan through her so-called "Secret Empire"…"

"B-by all the…! She tortured them to feel good?" Isaac gasped.

"Correct. And the "Secret Empire" didn't start from scratch: "clubs" where such things were done have always existed but they've increased in the recent decades… Yet each lobby hates each other: and they normally end up fighting each other for supremacy… The police most of the times manage to shut them down and rescue the victims yet… Maria forcibly "unified" them through murder, arson, blackmail, extortion and abduction under the title of "IQ – sama" and hiding in the "Palace"…"

"We've seen photos of it but… What role did it really have?"

"It was a dungeon: a dungeon of lust and evil passion… Crewed by about 30 rough men she picked from violent backgrounds, they had no qualms about abusing of the youth there because Maria let them be and this way she ensured their loyalty… The "Palace" was stationed in HEO and cloaked to everyone… Very few knew it existed… And Vadous managed to hack the system by planting programs from the inside to then bring it down: it went up again a year ago because Twilight wanted to have it ready for Maria's "return to power"… Vadous blew it up to destroy that sign of impunity and which held mourning souls…"

"And they wanted us to eventually become accomplices?"

"Yes. Twilight has tried to corrupt 3 young men insofar to forcibly turn them into "heirs"… He hasn't done anything to you because Maria surely feared that showing her true colors too early would scandalize you and you would flee so she played "nice" and is merely postponing it until she gets you to do something to stain your image and try to make you look like a criminal to others' eyes…"

"Such as murder…?" Nelaus realized.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"And then she would tell us the only way to escape them would be staying at her side forever and doing whatever she told us to?" Isaac deduced next while barely holding back his rising anger.

"No doubt."

"How do you know so much about them?"

"I used to know them when they were younger. Before she truly became the evil villain she is… And back then she already off-handedly mentioned Kranos Opoulos so I suspected his involvement lately after checking up with the FBI contact I have…"

"I see. Huh? A new tweet… It'd seem fighting has begun on the outer perimeter and a "Dimensional Area" has encompassed the studios thus cutting off all attempts to further broadcast "noise"… Sapphire has tweeted that…" Isaac reported.

"Knowing them… They wouldn't stay quiet and watch it unfold: I'd rather suggest that you don't go there because you'd get easily outnumbered, young Nelaus…"

"Yeah. Not like I was intending to… Their HQ is some island SSW of Honolulu and Isaac's got the exact coordinates… If you could forward them to someone who had the manpower to storm the place…"

"The Black Hole PMC will do… They were waiting for a chance to return the assaults Twilight inflicted to their facilities…"

"Good. I'll forward them."

Isaac transmitted an email into the nearby laptop: Mr. X stood up and checked them before nodding.

"I see. It was camouflaged in a good manner… It rings a bell, though."

"Mike said it looked like a film named "_You only live twice_" but since I've got no database on cinema…"

"Ah! Yes, yes. I see. James Bond… After this… What will you do?"

"We'll go to the Net Police HQ and surrender."

"That's the wisest thing you could do, yes… It'd seem Detective Misaki and Prism Man stayed to watch the fort just in case…"

"You sound like you have an idea in mind." Nelaus brought up.

"True. You haven't done any real crime. Net Battling? You just displayed what you could do. No problems there. You're clean. And since you surrender in person then… You surely won't be processed but they could call you to declare as a witness in a court…"

"So they would let us free? They wouldn't restrict our movements or impose conditions?"

"No. And maybe they would rather recruit you."

"Whoa!"

"You've got the potential to become one of the best in a very short time and you've already mastered "Cross Fusion" so…"

"And what about Nelaus' origins…?"

"We could write you as an orphan who got picked up…"

"That could work, yeah…" Nelaus looked animated.

"I don't see a problem from the POV of the others either… They would become a new companion: someone who has managed to escape the evil clutches of those guys, at last… It's taken 3 years and the sacrifice of 3 young men but we've finally gotten here…"

"Sacrifice?" Isaac gasped.

"Well. It's a form of speaking. First were Net Navi Forte and his partner Shirakami… When fused together they battled Vadous in another Time-Space and something caused for them to be sucked up into a crack of Time-Space… And seeing what Twilight did to Shade Man I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved somehow… But maybe not…"

"And the 3rd…?" Nelaus asked with a sigh.

"Kuroshiro Oriol. A nice, young man who'd been dragged over by Twilight and stationed in Kobe… He rebelled but Twilight had used a chip implant to slowly alter his subconscious and try to make him a paranoid young man who took out his paranoia on others… In the end he and Kanou Shade, the "cousin" of Twilight, exiled to another Time-Space to escape his influence and live freely…"

"I see… So they had to make that harsh decision of exiling and given how the earlier 2 vanished from this world too…"

"We need to break this vicious circle. Maria was DESTROYING THE FUTURE! Robbing future generation's lives! Destroying their persona and individuality…! Spreading sorrow and despair and hopelessness across countless parents who didn't know what become of their children…! She HAD to be stopped! You four… 3 of you have proven her that she's not immortal or any "Ice Queen" and that her "Empire" was but artificial unity which broke down after her arrest and downfall…! She wanted to make you become accomplices to that lust and arrogance and make you live inside of a never-ending ever-growing spiral of violence and paranoia which would trap you forever!"

Mr. X suddenly stood up and lifted his arms in a violent manner while pacing around the table with the computer: Nelaus didn't comment and merely looked on.

"Another tweet, by Platinum… About 6 of the Metal Gear RAY units have fallen by now… Rock Man, Blues, Search Man, Blood Shadow, Sigma and Omega have breached into the building but will now have to face the "Gekkou" and the "FROGs"… It'd seem they've fitted the whole building with troops and most of the staff has been locked in the studios while the big bosses are on the main server room…" Isaac whispered.

"See? Their so-called "inexpugnable" status was an illusion: they refuse to see reality as it is and distort it in whatever manner they feel like doing: another proof of the tyrants and villains they are. Opoulos won't get away from this: "Deadly Pandora" has killed many across the globe."

"Because the "clients" charged them to… And since most of them were mafia or corrupt officials in sub-developed countries then… The victims were surely innocent or not as evil as them…"

"Hum. I've just gotten an idea… But I don't want to bring it up right now: I want to work on something… It could do regarding your future status: but don't worry about it for today…"

"We understand…" Isaac calmly nodded.

"And the main reason Vadous and the others finally made a move was because Maria targeted Hikari Netto and Rock Man 3 years ago and tried to draw them into her clutches… I don't know if they told you but Vadous' and Twilight's DNAs combine theirs as basis material… Kanou Shade is another tale and so are you but…"

"So they're not "merely" Net Police?"

"That's what they told you? Another lie! He started as a normal young man and right after he met Rock Man he got involved into the incidents the "WWW" sprouted… He was the one who stood up to face them but he wasn't aiming to be a "hero"… He happened to be there and was the one who could do it… He then became one of the first "Net Saviors" too and continues to be… But he doesn't fight out of grudge or anything like that: he fights when there's no other way around."

"Whoa!" Both gasped.

"I knew they had to be special… I could feel an aura of power to them and it wasn't just those Battle Chips… Their co-ordination and such comes from a "bond" they've formed over time… They can trust in each other: and our role insofar was to be a mockery of them, a crude attempt at trying to imitate them… Built to be an imitator…" Isaac exposed while narrowing his eyes.

"So my existence is a mockery."

"Your very name is a mockery: it's made up of two fictional characters not unlike Vadous'… She treats you as mere tools under her thumb: tools to be used and discarded or to be controlled when she feels like it…"

"We're not tools! We have a will of our own and we can carve our own path in life!" Isaac protested.

"Can you believe she steeped so low as to name "merchandise" to her victims? How she tried to rob their humanity?"

"Merchandise! Rob their humanity? Those two were MAD!" Nelaus was furious by now.

"Exactly. But their own "nice" game turned upon them because you're intelligent and the very air felt like it was forced, like there was a curtain or a veil… As if they tried to built battlements around you or form a siege around you… From where you wouldn't be able to break out and you'd have to stand… Limit your knowledge and vision of the world…"

"We won't let them achieve their mad goal: we won't be turned into accomplices to such madness… Madness feeds madness and violence feeds violence… A never-ending cycle, an ever-growing spiral, as you described it…" Isaac muttered while looking decided.

"It all fits by now. And they also seem to have forgotten about us for these 5 years… They could've tried to pay some more attention! I know they'd been imprisoned and all but… Really!" Nelaus grumbled.

"Isn't that more proof of how little they actually cared about you? What's the status in Japan, anyway?"

"New tweet from Diamond… Two more RAY units have been defeated and 5 are left out there… But the guys who've gotten inside don't seem to have been able to make too much progress…" Isaac read aloud.

"Alright. You can go now: pick your own path and carve your own future, young men. You ARE the future. Carry it out into the world. Go with my best wishes… Ah! And my name is Xavier Rainon, by the way… If she contacts you then tell her that… I'd like to see her reaction when she realizes who I am… I wouldn't be surprised if she'd forgotten me."

"Xavier Rainon? Alright, I'll tell her if she asks… Good-bye."

"Let's go, Nelaus… We'll carve our future! And write our own life history!"


	39. Chapter 39: Skyfall

**Chapter 39: Skyfall**

10:09 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 2nd…

"… We're holding out pretty well!"

"True, my lady."

"Twilight? What's the status?"

"Well. Cosmo Man and the others have begun fighting and Freeze Man also has… That should keep 5 of them busy enough…"

"Good."

"I'll provide defense myself too."

Anaya, Izono, Opoulos and Twilight were standing inside of the server room and Twilight was looking at a holographic screen which displayed several messages there: they all looked pretty smug.

"There you are!"

An AC duct cover hit the ground and Vadous dropped him while having his swords drawn and frizzling with electricity.

"Damn. What happened to the miniature Gekkou we spread across all AC ducts in the building?" Twilight grumbled.

"Oh please. Did you really think that'd stop me? And you're Kranos Opoulos: I finally get see your outdated cigar." He told Opoulos with some sarcasm.

"WHAT?" He grumbled.

"Not so fast! _Kyoudai_! Battle Form: Engage!"

Energy built up around Twilight and formed a black sphere as his armor formed over him and which was reminiscent of a "Cross Fusion" process to begin with.

"Hum. So you're going to put up some fight."

"Not "some" fight! Today I annihilate you lowlife!"

"Let's go! Subspace Tear!"

"You got that from the "Palkia" you pulled on us last summer."

Twilight formed a pair of swords which glowed with purplish energy and swung them down the air to open a "tear" into which he ran in followed by Vadous: both appeared on the DNN TV Station's rooftop and they saw the new-gen RAY models (having a tail and the red front "eye") still engaging some of the "Cross Fusion" fighters or the Navis: others had been damaged and knocked out given how parts of their body were exposed and smoking plus frizzling.

"Let there be despair!"

"Sure, sure. And you're then gonna pull a stunt."

"Shut up! I'll overcome you lowlife for real!"

"Gloat while you can, Liquid."

"HMPF! Become one with the ground, Snake!"

A RAY yelled close by as it fell down while its body frizzled with electricity: the other units began to experience similar phenomena.

"What in the…?"

"The cavalry's arrived."

"What cavalry? Huh? It couldn't be!"

Twilight looked south to see some soldiers quickly advancing towards the building and some carried rocket launcher-like weapons.

"The Black Hole PMC! How did they get here so fast? Their base is in Arkansas!"

"Something called sub-orbital flight? Mach 23?"

"By all the…! Just like in… YIKES!" He began saying but cut off.

"Ah. So there's some game in where a Mach 23 sub-orbital space plane is used to quickly travel between two spots…"

"None of your stinking business!"

"Oh yeah? I'd rather say your perfume is outdated."

"Perfume! I never used that."

"Not even when replacing Regal?"

"What the hell are you getting at? Regal didn't use perfume either."

"So you buried him 3 feet under."

"Nah! I didn't want to alter the continuity so I simply rewrote the guy's memories and exiled them off in King Land along with miniature Death Star: and it worked. Hah!" He sneered.

"Show me your moves." Vadous challenged.

"You're asking for it! Double Thunder!"

"Lightning Rod."

A device which seemingly acted as a lightning rod showed up and Twilight's attack (electricity jumping off the blades) got absorbed into it, its polarity reversed, and shot back at Twilight: he howled and suddenly formed blue lightning from his hands' fingers which hit Vadous but he didn't get affected.

"My armor compounds are designed to block electricity. You moron."

"That wasn't electricity! The Dark Side of the Force!"

"Sith Lightning? How devious of you." Vadous sarcastically replied.

"Shut up! This spot is my climax!"

"Twilight – sama? I'm engaging Zero." Freeze Man reported.

"Slice them up."

"My pleasure."

"Twilight – sama? Here's Swallow Man: I'm tackling the _ninja_ guy."

"At least there are no little girls to interfere…" He muttered

"Huh? Sorry?"

"Huh! Don't mind me. Fight! Smash them! Rip them apart!"

"Sure, _Danna_! Swallow Cutter!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"It reminded you of "Alternate" Swallow Man, huh? Kanou did submit all memory files of Umbra for us to review and I see how Sakurai, Miyabi and another girl managed to beat the guy on the "Neo WWW" skyscraper's stairs…" Vadous calmly told him.

"The clever little mouse!" He grumbled.

"This is Cloud Man, my Lord! The Search Man guy is my opponent."

"Remember: they can maneuver in the air." Twilight warned.

"Don't worry, my Lord! They can't do that inside of this corridor."

"Good! Make sure to cover the back." He warned.

"Sure, my Lord. Many Cloud!"

"Satellite Ray!"

"Eat these! Great Avalanche! Grand Tsunami!"

"So you copied my programs and improved them, huh? No surprise over here… Vicious Fire! Unending Cyclone!" Vadous wasn't surprised and began his own counter-attack next.

Twilight formed an avalanche of boulders falling from the sky followed by a _tsunami_ wave about 2 meters tall travelling across the surface of the rooftop: Vadous formed purplish fire on his hands and swung it towards Twilight followed by a cyclone which began to twist: the fire fused with it and began to leap across the inner body of the cyclone to hit Twilight: Vadous ran through the _tsunami_ and let the boulders bounce off the rooftop and fall into the ground as he leapt into the air to enter the cyclone and begin a close-quarters fight with Twilight.

"This is Yamato Man. The _ronin_ wants to bite." Yamato Man chuckled.

"I'M NO _RONIN_!" "CF" Blues yelled.

"You are! And such you will die as a nameless _ronin_!"

"Good motto, Yamato Man! Bring a pitiful end to them!"

"As you desire, my Master!"

"The blue mice are trying to put up some desperate resistance but my full power is too much for them… They're so soft that they want to avoid "collateral damage" and such don't fight at their fullest… Another reason we picked these corridors… Heh, heh, heh." Cosmo Man chuckled.

"Put out the "Light" and such the "Shadows" will always persist no matter how many times you try to erase them!"

"You're one to talk." "CF" Netto drily shot back knowing that Twilight could hear to him.

"Hmpf! So you've gotten some guts, eh, kids?"

"If our "Alternate" could blow up that giant _Mecha Gojira_ parody then we can beat this guy. And if they could repel this guy without the need of super-powerful Battle Chips or Program Advances then we can do that as well." "CF" Netto calmly replied.

"Hmpf! Then die trying! And let there be despair and hopelessness!"

"Don't mind the guy's lame speeches." Vadous advised.

"Not like we intended to."

"That's what I wanted to hear: give them a lesson!"

"I'll teach this guy that I'm no _ronin_!" "CF" Blues fumed.

"Hmpf. I wouldn't get so confident or fall for their taunts." "CF" Laika muttered in a calm tone of voice.

"I think the same… Shadow Blade!" "CF" Miyabi agreed on it.

"Time to settle the score." Zero challenged.

"Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh! Catch me if you can, you damned Virus!"

10:19 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Your steel is of plebeian quality, you _ronin_!"

"FOR THE LAST FREAKING TIME! I AIN'T A DAMNED _RONIN_!"

"Enzan – sama, sir. Please calm down, sir."

"LIKE HELL!"

"Oh boy…"

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh. And you call this "team-work"? Don't make me laugh, _ronin_."

"SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP!"

"CF" Blues was fighting Yamato Man in one corridor and having trouble blocking his attacks using a Long Blade and a Wide Blade: Yamato Man taunted him and Blues' attempts to try to calm Enzan down weren't having much effect.

"Ijuuin. Cool it." Omega told him via the radio.

"Don't butt into MY battle! Omega!"

"I'm not butting in. I'm just telling you to cool it and think rationally or else you won't survive this guy's assaults. He's building up energy and he's sure to turn on the "Dark Generator" any moment now."

"By all the… Not that thing again!"

"Too late, _ronin_! Dark Generator: Activate!"

Amplified heartbeat sounds rang out as a glowing purplish spheroid could be seen inside of Yamato Man's body: some tendrils began to spread across the inner surface of his body like veins and energy travelled across them as a purplish glow formed around him: he roared.

"I'll let you witness my "Bestialize" form!"

"No way! He's got one of those things too?"

"Guess there was a "Zoan" Yamato Man, then… Be on your toes, Ijuuin!"

"That's easy for YOU to say."

"UWO~H!"

Two sets of metallic "fangs" having a triangular form took form inside of the flanks of his helmet and ended up resting over his cheeks: new blackish armor formed over the lower half of the helmet and it included two extensions aiming SW and SE.

Flames formed behind the decorative object atop the helmet and remained there as his eyes glowed with a red glow to them.

The armor over his palms formed a row of fangs and gained two small golden cones on them: the "mouths" opened and closed and fire formed on his palms which he closed: the fire then gained the shape of a sword and faded away to reveal Muramasa Blades.

Two parallel white lines were drawn on his feet armor before flames poured out of the feet's perimeter and faded away to reveal three metallic talons emerging from a triangular yellow base having two small triangles on the NW and NE corners.

The line surrounding his chest and splitting it into two halves began to glow and it suddenly expanded in height to then open up and each stripe gain mass and volume to become "fangs": flames surrounded his emblem and the poured out as the "mouth" closed up.

The curved armor protecting the outer side of his arms right beneath the shoulders lifted as flames formed a golden ring around the shoulder and then lowered again: a large "horn" which had a curved shape emerged from the NW and NE corners of each shoulder.

His emblem drawing got drawn on the helmet's forehead and the "V" shape over his eyes extended and got a small cut between the main body and a secondary smaller body as if to look "fiercer".

"UWO~H!"

"Shit and shit." "CF" Blues growled.

"That is why I said you should've cooled it, sir."

"Told you." Omega sighed.

"Fuck."

"Mwroh, hoh, hoh!"

He suddenly dashed forward while wielding both blades and "CF" Blues quickly ducked as the enemy suddenly crossed them to form the shape of an "X" letter in a move intended to cut off his head: "CF" Blues drew a Tank Cannon.

"Tank Cannon!"

"Uack!"

The blast at close-quarters pushed him back and "CF" Blues got to his feet while bringing up his blades again because Yamato Man had already recovered and was delivering a barrage of hits at him which he was barely blocking.

"Shit. I need something to counter and quick."

"You won't have the chance!" Yamato Man replied through his distorted voice.

"Says the guy."

"What?"

"Omega. Do me a favor and…"

"Not so fast!"

Yamato Man whipped around as if expecting Omega to attack him from behind but instead "CF" Blues managed to form a cut on his back which began to seep out some purplish spores: Yamato Man howled and whipped around again in a blur to begin a barrage of combo attacks using both blades at the same time the glow of which had increased.

"You damned fool! These are Muramasa Blades: the more damage you inflict to me the more I'll return!"

"Damn. Forgot about that…! Time for B Plan."

"What now, huh?" Yamato Man suspiciously questioned.

"Battle Chip, Flame Sword! Double Slot In!"

"Hah! My swords can't be melted by the puny amount of heat the Flame Swords can emit."

"I wonder about that myself…" He trailed off and shrugged.

"Huh? What's that?" He questioned.

"CF" Blues suddenly glowed but nothing seemingly happened: Yamato Man continued his attack but he then gasped as something hit him from behind and spotted another "CF" Blues there.

"What! You copied the _ninja_'s "Kage Bunshin"?" He realized.

"Yeah. If your Boss is going to rip things then I'm gonna rip off the _Pocket Monsters_ move of "Kage Bunshin" too."

"Huh? Gruo~h!"

The inside of his body suddenly began to get on fire and "CF" Blues jumped away after the "Kage Bunshin" vanished.

"Omega and Zero told me that that dust is flammable. The Flame Swords increased the heat inside of you and actually set in on fire so you're going to be burn out from the inside and you'll lose the power bonus."

"Even if I am deleted… It'll be a hollow victory!"

"Why's that?" "CF" Blues sounded skeptical.

"My persona shall become a part of Twilight – sama along with my abilities and he shall use them to overcome all foes!"

"Damn it. And the other 4 can do the same too?" He growled.

"Heh, heh, heh… We didn't come here without a battle plan: this scheme has been on the drawing board for a week already!"

"And here I thought Anaya had gotten a fit of inspiration and had dragged all of you guys here without a plan!" He growled in annoyance.

"Too bad, _ronin_! Eat these!" He laughed.

"What! He can still move? Ugrah!"

"Enzan – sama!"

Yamato Man suddenly plunged both blades into "CF" Blues' chest emblem and his "Cross Fusion" broke down: the Link PET reformed and hit the floor to eject a broken "Synchro Chip".

"Now you DIE!"

"Wrong."

TCHAC!"

"Ugh! The red _samurai_…! Whatever… I will become one with Twilight – sama forever until he restores my body! Mwah, hah, hah!"

Omega had plunged his saber through Yamato Man taking profit of the earlier wound and it emerged from the front but Yamato Man merely laughed as his body glowed with a purplish glow and broke down into data which warped elsewhere.

"Alright. That was an odd way of being deleted: the guy should've blown up instead." Omega muttered.

"Shit. I lowered the guard." Enzan fumed as he picked up the Link PET from the floor.

"Be glad it ended with just a broken "Synchro Chip"… We're pending to see how the others will fare like… I'm going to try to locate Hikari just in case: you just get out since the PMC soldiers are about to storm the building and capture the "Admin" batch of guys."

"Alright."

"Later. And if you see Sigma… Then tell him this is but a truce and he's still some more punishment left for messing with the VR System."

"Huff. I heard about that, yeah… That guy… He placed everyone in danger and thought it was fun… He deserved an earful, really… Let's go, Blues."

10:29 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Be swallowed up by the Universe's "Dark", or, rather, by the "Great Dark Spiral"!"

"We know that that "Alternate 2" guy said that when facing Blues in some Cyber World: the "Past Vision" thing has faded by now but it was interesting to see."

"Hmpf. My "Alternate 2" achieved his goal of drawing all hatred from that _ronin_… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Ignore the taunts and focus, Netto – kun."

"I know, Rock Man."

"CF" Netto was facing Cosmo Man in another corridor and managing to last on despite some blows and wounds: Cosmo Man was still rather unharmed and the purplish glow around him revealed that he'd already switched to "Dark Generator" mode.

"Heh, heh, heh. Come."

"Che. O – Saber!"

"CF" Netto formed the O – Saber and jumped at Cosmo Man but his motion was suddenly rewound and Cosmo Man had formed a row of "Cosmo Buster" attacks which hit "CF" Netto.

"W-what the heck?"

"Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh heh,…"

"Shit. I see! You've installed Dialga's "Time Roar" ability into you to alter the flow of Time-Space and rewind "Time" itself!" "CF" Netto deduced once he'd stood up.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'll praise you yet, Wiggins."

"Damn it. Forte used that taunt on me 3 years ago too and I still find it to be very annoying."

"Cool it, Netto – kun. We need to win this."

"I know! Let's go again!"

"Useless!"

"I wonder about that, Mr. Golden Boy!"

"Wha~t? Damn you! Degrading me, Cosmo… UGRAH!"

"CF" Netto taunted Cosmo Man and he forgot to activate his new ability so "CF" Netto was able to form some interconnecting cuts over his body and Cosmo Man was forced to step back.

"Grrr! Damn you! Cosmo Gate!"

"Oh shit."

The "Cosmo Gate" formed and some small-sized planetoids began to rain down and bombard the ground of the corridor: Cosmo Man suddenly rushed in using the bombardment as cover and began to kick and punch "CF" Netto: he also formed a chainsaw and turned it on.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"So you're gonna screw Anaya?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"She wanted us alive: did Twilight ever tell you that?"

"Cosmo Man! Turn off that thing NOW! That guy's an exception: IQ – sama has thought it again and doesn't want to lose this chance so disable them but don't go overboard either. As for you…! Time Flow! Condensed Dark!" Twilight's voice came in.

"Shoo. Pure Light." Vadous calmly countered.

"Roger, Twilight – sama! You lowlife are lucky."

"Yeah. I always had some kind of dumb luck. Which you don't have or pretend to have but, in truth, was stolen by Vincent."

"You worm-tongue!" Cosmo Man grumbled.

"Bite me, Golden Girl."

"WHAT? COSMO…!"

"Slow."

"Ugrah! Gruh! Gruck! Damn you! You damned blue mice!"

"Patent it."

"CF" Netto's taunts worked again and he managed to inflict some more cuts and make it past the thick armor: Cosmo Man suddenly gripped his arms and began to pull them with violence: they began to creak and "CF" Netto yelled in agony.

"I'll dismember you!"

"COSMO MAN!" Twilight roared.

"Huh! Twilight – sama!"

"STOP IT OR…!"

Cosmo Man quickly let go and pushed "CF" Netto away by kicking him into the chest and sending him flying to land, hard, on the ground: he groaned and seemed to be unable to articulate his arms given the pain.

"Don't tell me you broke the arms!"

"I d-don't think so, sir, but…" He nervously trailed off.

"Aren't you a superior "Darkloid"? PROVE IT BY DAMNATION!"

"R-roger, sir."

"IQ – sama will have my head if they're not in one piece!"

"Huh! I understand!"

"Charged shotgun shot!"

"Ugah! Hmpf! The arrival of reinforcements, huh? What can you do, crimson mouse? Scratch the walls?"

"Your sarcasm would only work on some with low IQ."

"Cosmo Gate!"

"Battle Chip, Monolith!"

"What!"

Blood Shadow had come to help and delivered an attack from behind: Cosmo Man taunted him but he was unimpressed: when Cosmo Man opened his "Cosmo Gate" Blood Shadow formed a "Monolith" which seemed to grow in width and height before the "front" vanished to reveal a black void: all attacks headed inside and then shot out at maddening speed to hit Cosmo Man over and over again.

"How clever!" He grumbled.

"Isn't it? Hikari – kun! How are your arms?"

"OW! THEY HURT LIKE HELL!" He groaned.

"No kidding." Rock Man groaned.

"Guess you need to see a physiotherapy expert after this…"

"Sure does!" Twilight muttered under his breath with obvious annoyance which was directed at Cosmo Man.

"Ugh… Twilight – sama! I shall not offer any excuses!" He gasped.

"Whatever! You can go all out on that damned robot! IQ – sama has no use for a sexless robot!" He ordered.

"Delighted, my Lord! Cosmo Buster!"

"Forgot about my buddy already?"

"Damn it!"

Cosmo Man's new attack bounced off the "cover" of the smooth black wall without leaving even a dent or a scratch: it hit him instead and Blood Shadow rushed in.

"Charged shotgun shot!"

"Grumfh! You damned human puppet!"

"Twilight doesn't fall into that category too? He answers to Anaya."

"Nya~h! Cosmo Ring!"

He formed the Cosmo Ring but he transformed it into a spinning saw disk which he aimed for Blood Shadow's waist but he calmly let the "Monolith" absorb the hit and bounce off: it actually cut off Cosmo Man's upper chest and his "Dark Generator" inside got split into two halves which began to seep power out.

"Mugro~h!"

"Become on with me, Cosmo Man!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah!"

"Shit."

Cosmo Man broke down into clusters of data which warped out and Vadous grumbled under his breath.

"This guy's speed and strength are lifting. This "becoming one" thing isn't any stunt or show. He's recycling his strategy from that planet-wide RPG thing Umbra told us about." He grumbled.

"Yeah! And back then I'd almost overpowered you lowlife's alternate but they hat to copy Serenade's technique!"

"A future character in some game?" Vadous dully assumed.

"No! The Reverse King! Admin of the Reverse Internet! Strong beyond calculation!"

"Don't spoil me what happened there: I've got no interest."

"Don't deny it, you damned interloper!"

"Ouch…! O~w…! My arms… I can move them already but the shoulders groan and creak SO MUCH…! I know Davis went through that last year too but he was a Navi and he didn't have to worry about bones!"

"H-hang in there, Netto – kun!" Rock Man tried to encourage.

"Don't worry, Hikari – kun. I'm bringing you to the hospital. We need to X-ray that right now and figure out how much damage you got…"

10:39 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Mugen Vulcan!"

"Mwah, hah, hah! Many Cloud!"

"Shit. These clouds' EM field interferes with my scanning capabilities and I can't tell which cloud he's hiding in!"

"Elec Storm!"

"Gruah! We're getting nowhere at this pace."

"I'm trying to find a weak point on the attack patterns, Laika – sama."

"I'm counting on you, Search Man."

"CF" Laika had tried to shoot a "Mugen Vulcan Program Advance" at Cloud Man but the guy had become a cloud and formed a sea of clouds to hide: electrical bolts rained down and hit him making him waste the rounds on a fake cloud: he began to grumble and Search Man announced how he was trying to find a weak point: he focused again.

"Time to play some Vincent – style hide and seek!"

"Vincent – style? Oh come on."

"Legs & hands! Scares & hands! Ducks & hands! Sticks & hands! Stickers & hands! Motors & hands!" Cloud Man began to make up silly rhymes on the spot to taunt him.

"I hate that stupid rhyme ALREADY."

"The mass is consistent: the SW cloud is the real enemy, sir."

"Good job! Satellite Ray! Search Grenades!"

The Satellite Ray hit that cloud and "shattered" the optical illusion to reveal Cloud Man: before he could finish loading his next attack, though, the Search Grenades fell in front of him and began to detonate one after the other thus momentarily distracting him.

"Mugen Vulcan!"

"Mugra~h! Volcanoes & hands, curse me!" He made up another silly rhyme as if trying to come up with something which wasn't cursing.

"Mwah, hah, hah. Oi! Laika. I'm on my way."

"I didn't tell you to, Sigma."

"Just in case~…"

"Fine. But don't butt in yet: I'm managing to gain some temporary advantage over this guy."

"Cloud Man! Go all out on them: we don't need this smug soldier and they could prove to be trouble if the whole Sharo Army was to come after us to begin with." Twilight commanded.

"Roger, my Master! 100, 000 Volts!"

"_Govnó_!" "CF" Laika cursed in Russian.

"Shit." Search Man muttered.

The attack landed on "CF" Laika and he tried to repress the yell of pain which was about to come out: he managed to aim his Scope Gun despite it and loaded it up.

"Zero-range shot!"

"What!"

The shot inflicted a wound on the NW corner of Cloud Man's torso and he grumbled something: he then spread his arms.

"The finishing blow! Thunder!"

"Not so fast! Lightning Rod! I now remembered I had one…!"

"Oh crap!"

The "Thunder" impacted on the Lightning Rod and, like Vadous had done with Twilight, got its polarity reversed and it landed back on Cloud Man: he grumbled and floated backwards.

"Many Cloud!"

"You can't hide your mass anymore! Satellite Ray!"

"You damned fool! Gotcha!"

"Ugrah! _Kawarimi_?"

"Did you think we couldn't learn or improve? HAH!"

Cloud Man vanished and instead a log formed on his place: he reappeared behind "CF" Laika and shot a _shuriken_ which hit him from behind while forming a smug smile and taunting.

"A goth loli is coming to haunt your dreams!"

"Don't tell me." "CF" Laika grumbled.

"Androv is having an affair with Sandrov! Whatever that means: Twilight – sama just told me it'd be a useful taunt!"

"No wonder."

"So! The only thing left is to bring out the DK Hammer and use it to shatter the statue of ice ya really are into shards and let it melt! I'm a genius: and that's thanks to Twilight – sama!" He laughed.

"… Now! Program Advance! Corn Shot, Triple Slot In! Corn Party!"

"No way!"

"CF" Laika shot the multiple exploding corn rounds at Cloud Man and the spreading explosions happening one after the other began to overwhelm him: he groaned and stepped back while panting.

"GRHTXHT! No more Mr. Nice! Dark Generator: Activate!"

"Mwah, hah, hah. Lame Generator: Deactivate!"

"Sigma. Don't hijack my radio frequency." "CF" Laika fumed.

"Don't worry, Laika – sama~… I just happened to find a Gekkou and I'm having fun pounding it up 'cause Pound Man told me to do that and settle how much a pound is in kilograms!" Sigma made up some joke.

"Your ability to make up jokes is LAME." Search Man protested.

"Did ya talk 'bout me? 'Cause my ears are burning with whistles!"

"Ignore them, Search Man. Focus on the enemy's combat capability."

There was a tremor and the ceiling collapsed as Twilight and Vadous fell inside of the corridor right behind Cloud Man: they were clashing their swords and producing bolts of purplish or blackish energy jumping around at random.

"Guess it's like a _Star Wars_ battle…"

"Then bring up the "Duel of the Fates" BGM!" Sigma laughed.

"Oh. Shut up already. Search Man! Change frequency and scramble them so that Sigma can't listen in." "CF" Laika settled.

"Roger."

"O-oi! Laika! Wait a minute, you…! KZZZZZ!" Sigma began to plead only to be cut off.

"I'll rip you apart!"

"Yeah? You wanna be Twilight The Ripper?"

"Sure as Hell!"

"So? Where's Hell's entrance at? In Mount Vesuvius?" Vadous taunted back with a dull face.

"HMPF! In your imagination, Lestrade!"

"That's running old. By the way, we called Gauss and put some pressure on him so you should forget about keeping on using him."

"Whatever. The guy was expendable to begin with."

"Mwah, hah, hah! 1,000, 000 Volts!"

"No way! He increased the attack's output by 10?"

Cloud Man began to form purplish electricity around his body and into a large growing spheroid: "CF" Laika gasped and was surprised that the power output had been increased.

"DIE!"

"… Freeze Bullet!"

"What?"

"CF" Laika suddenly switched ammo and attacked the forearms of Cloud Man: the electricity began to travel into his body instead as "CF" Laika froze more patches of it: Cloud Man roared.

"T-the integrity's falling apart!" He cursed.

"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"

"D-dream on! Ugrh! M-Many…!"

"Too late! Fire!"

The electricity flowing unchecked across his body interfered with his capability to form the clouds and "CF" Laika pounded him with the rounds of the "Mugen Vulcan" thus inflict more damage: he shot some at what remained of the spheroid and it began to violently vomit streaks of energy which hit parts of Cloud Man's body and began to delete him.

"M-my own attack is deleting me? No way!"

"Battle Chip, Samurai Sword! HRAH!"

"Mugro~h!"

"Become one with me, Cloud Man!"

"CF" Laika jumped into the air and cut Cloud Man in two by splitting from the NE shoulder to the SW side of his torso: his "Dark Generator" began to pour out energy which flew into Twilight and his body also became the clusters of data: Twilight laughed and suddenly formed a two-bladed red light-saber which he began to use to strike at Vadous.

"Damn. And now he comes with the Darth Maul weapon. This jerk! Laika – kun: head back! This guy is too much for you by now and you're tired already! Check on Netto and make sure he's taken to the hospital ASAP!"

"Roger, sir! Be careful, sir! Let's go, Search Man! The rest is up to him!"

10:49 AM (Japan Time)…

"… This is Miyabi… I'm managing somehow… What's Hikari's status, Omega?"

"We've brought him out of the building and warped out of the "DA": we called for the ambulance, and for the time being, done nothing: the ambulance should be about to come."

"Doesn't the PMC have a field medic?"

"He's already checked on him and he doesn't think he's got anything severely broken but he won't speculate without an X-ray."

"Good enough."

"Charles is heading for your position as well."

"Understood. Come, bird."

"Mwah, hah, hah! Once you're done for then… College of Charleston and Bowman go next!"

"This guy is dynamic. I like that."

"Oh come on. Don't start praising him, Shadow Man."

"CF" Miyabi's battle was against Swallow Man and he was talking with Omega over the radio at the same time while dodging or blocking Swallow Man's attacks: Shadow Man began to praise his behavior and Miyabi rolled his eyes.

"Swallow Cutter!"

"Cut the swallow and drink its blood in an arcane ritual."

"Shadow Man…! Can't you offer some tactical advice?"

"Hmmm… Maybe cutting the wings would do?"

"They're too large to be cut that easily and something tells me he could regenerate them even so." Miyabi countered.

"Then have it drink some arcane apple juice."

"You've been seeing too many fantasy _OVA_s…"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Swallow Drive!"

"Huff! That was heavy."

"Heavy Guy will marry Light Gal."

"Hah, hah, hah. Go sponsor some parody series out there."

"Delighted. Sponsored by Shadow Man: Living In Your Shadow."

Swallow Man rammed into "CF" Miyabi and he managed to push the attacker back somehow while Shadow Man kept on coming up with his weird sarcasm.

"I'm on my way! I need about 3 minutes to get there." Charles reported over the radio.

"The "Monolith" isn't safe for "CF" use…" Davis sighed.

"But solid enough to remain neat and clean after 3 million years!"

"Jeez. This guy spoils the grace." Charles grumbled.

"Blame me, College of Charleston! College of Davidson paid me to!"

"Don't tell me." Davis grumbled next.

"The College War has begun: fasten your seat-belts."

"Shadow Blade!"

"Hah! Swallow Cutter! Eat this, these AND THESE!"

Swallow Man shot the Swallow Cutter and chained it with some kicks and punches: "CF" Miyabi had tried to attack with both blades but then Swallow Man had countered: "CF" Miyabi didn't yield terrain and managed to open two parallel wounds stretching horizontally across the upper body but nothing happened because Swallow Man hadn't turned on his "Dark Generator" yet: he merely smirked and began another barrage of fists and kicks which "CF" Miyabi struggled to block or counter.

"Any more tactical ideas, Ninja Man?"

"Huff. Alright…" Shadow Man sounded defeated, for once.

"So?"

"Try to harm the knees and make it look like you can to harm those: and after a minute switch targets: he can't change his defending style so quickly." He whispered.

"I like that better."

"What do you like better? Spaghetti with soy sauce? Or Dragon Hell's soy chocolate?" Swallow Man taunted while grinning.

"SOY CHOCOLATE?" Charles uttered over the radio.

"Vadous. Tell us he didn't do that."

"I'm afraid so." Vadous sighed.

"I have ears and eyes EVERYWHERE!" Twilight laughed.

"You just saw the blog posts: everyone seems to think he's trying to make up a cooking blog parody and don't realize what his problem is."

"No wonder." Miyabi calmly muttered.

"At least Magic Man's Operator makes eatable stuff." Shadow Man seemed to share the feeling.

"We should consider ourselves fortunate. Kage Bunshin! _Shuriken_ Needles!"

"CF" Miyabi formed two copies of him and they all threw _shuriken_ at Swallow Man while aiming for the legs: he grumbled and attacked one of the "bunshins" but it disappeared and two _shuriken_ fell from above and behind and into his back.

"Shadow Blade!"

"CF" Miyabi began to land several attacks on Swallow Man's exposed back but he suddenly flipped and placed his hands on the ground.

"What?"

"Hah!"

He began to spin and deliver kicks at different speeds and angles at the "bunshin" and at the real "CF" Miyabi: he then flipped into the air and landed behind "CF" Miyabi to then throw a Giga Count Bomb at his feet: "CF" Miyabi sliced it in four and it detonated but the explosion was dimmed because it'd lost some mass beforehand: Swallow Man suddenly used his talons to form cuts on the chest armor but "CF" Miyabi didn't seem to notice them or choose to ignore them altogether.

"Alright! The cavalry came! Trumpets: on!"

"Charleston and Davidson! Welcome to the party!"

"Save the sarcasm: we've come to capture you."

"Like we did with Beast Man a year ago!"

"Think again! Dark Generator: Activate! Hruwra~h!"

"Oh shit. His "Bestialize" mode!"

"CF" Charles had come into the scene and had his saber weapon drawn on his right hand: Swallow Man grinned and then began to activate his "Dark Generator" to power – up while transforming.

"Hah!"

Swallow Man's wings became bigger and thinner ending up becoming almost transparent: two smaller thicker wings formed behind his shoulders along with two sets of grayish extensions.

The helmet design got altered too and armored formed over his chin and over his eyes: the ear-pads changed to brownish cones aiming backwards too.

His chest armor gained a diamond shape and extended a bit more while gaining further thickness too: a "tail" which was pretty wide and long formed behind him too: the forearm design made them grow larger and his hands became claw-like.

The boots grew in size and thickness as well while his feet split into bird-like feet.

"Hah, hah, hah! Air Dive!"

"Huff!"

"Program Advance! Justice Bomb, Triple Slot In! Golden Bomb!"

"Damn. I forgot about those two!"

"CF" Charles formed a golden-colored Giga Count Bomb and threw it at Swallow Man from behind: the blast did get to harm him but he simply shrugged it off and rammed into "CF" Charles only to get electrocuted by some mechanism there: "CF" Charles kicked the armor over his eyes and he had to recoil.

"Surprise Attack! Yamiuchi!"

"Groah!"

"CF" Miyabi took the chance to perform a surprise attack from behind and opening a wound on his body from behind: Swallow Man suddenly formed a chainsaw on his arms and swung them around to cut through "CF" Miyabi's armor and "CF" Charles' armor while laughing.

"DIE~!"

"Wrong! Ya lose! Eat sword!"

Sigma suddenly appeared by switching off his stealth camouflage and delivered a blow with the sword's blunt side to the head: Swallow Man groaned and fell into the ground before he suddenly plunged the chainsaws through him.

"I'll become one with Twilight – sama~! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Fuck!"

He broke down into the clusters and warped out: the group sighed in defeat while both "CF" users checked on their armors.

"Heck. Only Freeze Man is left by now… Hope Boss defeats the jerk…"

10:59 AM (Japan Time)…

"… No more hide and seek. You've kept us chasing you guys across the building until one went down and another began the serious fight hence why there's a 10 minute gap between one and the other and why we hadn't started battling before."

"Heh, heh, heh. You're a cornered defective product."

"Sure, sure. Just bring it on already. Your precious subordinates have fallen: only you and Twilight is left and I suspect the guy will make a run for it if things go awry 'cause Anaya will order him to."

"Very clever, Doctor Watson!"

Zero had finally cornered Freeze Man in a storage room full of props and spare equipment to be used in the filming studios: Freeze Man was surrounded by a prism of transparent ice having several spikes of ice popping out of its body at random while Zero kept his sword ready to jump into the battle.

"Heh, heh, heh. Go! Ice Spear!"

The spears detached from the prism and shot towards Zero who swung his saber around to create slices of energy: they all got cut into half and the prism exploded sending a large amount of shards of ice flowing towards Zero: he simply warped to dodge and quickly stabbed behind him at Freeze Man's invisible form, hitting his right shoulder: Freeze Man merely grinned.

"Ice Stage!"

The ground froze and so did the walls and ceiling: Zero activated spikes on his boots to avoid slipping through it and Freeze Man formed his Diamond Blade: he picked it up and quickly began to clash with Zero: they got into a deadlock and began to struggle.

"You're but a defective result of Wily's disciple." Freeze Man taunted Zero with a smug grin over his face.

"Don't tell me."

"Hmpf. Humor won't save your hide."

"I don't need anyone to save my hide. You need Twilight to save yours every twice or thrice to begin with."

"What! How dare you!" He got annoyed.

"Gotcha. Flame Sword! Hah!"

"Huh! How clever! You damned red goat!"

"Goat, me? That's a first. There was that "Goat Kung Fu" guy back in the winter." Zero calmly shot back.

"Diamond Shield!"

He formed a circular shield and picked it with the left hand to the then resume the fighting with Zero as Ice Towers formed around them and designed a cage limiting the area they had to fight.

"Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh… You're cornered!"

"Not like I was intending to run from this fight. Last year you were able to give me a pounding but this year I'll be the one who will pound you until Twilight decides to absorb whatever's left of you."

"It's not "whatever's left": it's my persona! I shall live with my comrades as one in the "Great Dark Swirl"! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Twilight's seen too many _anime_ series." Zero grumbled.

"And he knows the "alternate future" up to 2205!"

"I don't want to get spoiled so shut your trap and fight like a man. Which you really didn't do 4 years ago."

"Hmpf. My power was too much for those lowlifes. Only Forte was a worthy adversary but that fool had to get in the way."

"And despite everything your precious "pet" escaped containment and got to the Japan Internet City on its own."

"Hmpf. A little accident: but my previous master didn't mind it."

"Maybe the pet was eager to eat you and see if you were really made of ice or it's an imitation to begin with." Zero provoked.

"Hmpf. Who knows?" Freeze Man taunted back.

"No more playing around: eat these!"

"Hmpf. Attack in vain."

Zero tried to attack Freeze Man's body in several spots with the sword but it didn't get to make contact and was repelled on all attempts: Freeze Man suddenly gripped Zero's sword arm and began to freeze it up but Zero formed a Hell's Burner.

"Hell's Burner!"

"What!"

The blast did make contact because Freeze Man had seemingly turned off his defenses out of confidence: he recoiled and Zero tried to plunge his blade there only to be repelled by the "Diamond Shield": Freeze Man then opened a wound on Zero's right hip and he ignored it as he shot the Hell's Burner at the ground and forced Freeze Man to jump into the air out of instinct only to be hit by a Killer Eye's beam: he growled and sliced the Killer Eye but a Garuu attacked him from behind while a Mettool hit him from the western flank.

"I'm reusing my old ability to control Viruses." Zero let out.

"So the Virus has awakened!" Freeze Man taunted.

"I never said I'd gone to nap."

"Hmpf! No little pets will save you lowlife… You shall be trapped in ice and then experience the blackness of death!"

"That remains to be seen, Freeze Man."

A wall blew up and Vadous was propelled into the room to crash against a nearby wall: his armor had some wounds on it and he looked somewhat tired already while Twilight came in running and looking smug while wielding his weapon: Vadous ran for him with the swords drawn.

"By all the… None of them grow tired or what?"

"Hmpf! Twilight – sama never gets tired! His energy is boundless!"

"Swallow Cutter!"

Twilight formed the Swallow Cutter and shot it at Vadous: it hit him but he simply began to counter and force Twilight to recoil: they got out of the room and the fighting seemingly continued outside, in the corridor.

"You fool! You lowered the guard. Die."

"Shit."

Freeze Man aimed the Diamond Blade for Zero's chest but he quickly formed a Curzdo Virus to take the attack instead and counterattack Freeze Man next: Freeze Man wasn't affected by that and cut it up but then Zero made a cut on his wrist which made him let go of the blade out of instinct and clutch it up.

"Ugh! Damn it. Heal!"

The wound healed and he quickly picked the blade again while the Diamond Shield orbited around him to bounce off all attempts by Zero to attack him: Freeze Man drew a circle with the Diamond Blade and some kind of "portal" formed in the air to then shoot out a bluish "beam" of condensed vapor which hit Zero's chest and formed ice over it which began to spread across his body.

"Battle Chip, Salamander!"

"Damn it! The Salamander, you say!"

Zero rose into the air and then dived for Freeze Man who quickly formed a wall of ice 30cm thick: Zero's hit against the ground and the subsequent release of heat melted it and the shockwave pushed Freeze Man back despite being shielded by the Diamond Shield: he recovered as Zero rushed towards him and they locked blades once again.

"This pointless war will soon end. "Neo Gospel" and "Deadly Pandora" will soon become no more than a memory not unlike "Nebula"."

"Hmpf! As long as there is evil and ambition… Someone will rise and they will start everything again… There is no "peace": humans are incapable of living without conflict or strife! History has proven it!"

"That's why the "Subspace" aims to achieve a level of "stability" instead because they've realized that too: but stability allows things to be kept under check and make sure they don't grow into an ever greater danger to begin with." Zero replied.

"Hmpf. So they're not as stupid as I thought. Or maybe I should they're not as _naïve_ as I thought they were…" Freeze Man calmly replied while having a smug grin on.

"No. They aren't. And now you go down."

"Even if you defeat me you'd still have to try to tackle Twilight – sama and not even all of you fighting against him would survive: his mighty power can make him raze everything in a 50 meters radius!"

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see the guy trying. I don't think Anaya will want to risk it, though, and will likely tell him to go underground and bring her news from time to time like he'd done last summer."

"Hmpf. Icicle Fall!"

Icicles fell from the skies and began to stab the ground before gathering and forming "Onigoori" Pokémon: Zero grumbled under his breath while Freeze Man grinned.

"You lowlifes aren't the only ones recycling stuff."

"Shit."

"Go! "Onigoori"! "Absolute Zero"!"

The "Onigoori" began to blow off cold wind carrying hail and which had partly condensed too: the blasts made the hail embed on Zero's body skin and parts of it were frozen.

"Hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah… Feel the despair!"

"Shit. This hail has bugs which disable Flame-Elemental Chips!"

"I'm not that stupid to let you pull the same trick twice. Now you will experience absolute sleep!"

"I'm fed up with this: go compete with Mr. Freeze in Gotham City and leave us alone." Zero was annoyed by now.

"Struggle and gloat while you can!"

"Eat this!"

"What?"

Zero's blade suddenly began to frizzle with electricity and he hit the iced floor: the electricity travelled across it and up Freeze Man's body plus hitting the "Onigoori" and knocking them into the ground: Zero made the electricity spread across his own body too and it weakened the ice so he broke free and rushed for Freeze Man to stab him with the electrical attack as well.

"Now's my turn to attack!"

"How clever!" Freeze Man grumbled.

"You had 4000 HP… And I've managed to cut down about 50% of it: my own HP values clock at 1800 and I've just lost 800 so I've still got slightly over 50% left… This is far from over!"

"Of course it's far from over… It will end when you lowlifes are decimated and the New Age begins!"

"Isn't that a rather _cliché_ motto to begin with?"

"Who will care? Soon a great doom will behold this Land!"

"… Hah! Weakling!" Twilight could be heard close by.

"Huff, huff… You're the weakling who spent 5 months hiding in Brazil to make us think you'd died when you knew that we would suspect you actually hadn't." Vadous grumbled close by.

"This is Charles: we've got the big fishes and the PMC soldiers have freed the hostages… I'd say we turn off the "DA" already."

"You can do that, yeah." Vadous replied.

"Hah! Removing it won't change anything."

"I knew that."

"Wait a minute! Did you say "the big fishes"?" He suddenly seemed to have caught on.

"Yeah. Are you hard of hearing, maybe?"

"Whatever! I can rescue IQ – sama over and over again. As long as I'm alive then you won't be able to contain Their Grace forever!"

"And that's why I'm going to lock you up in the Navi Prison."

"Hah! Dream on. It's impossible for you to overcome me by now! Cosmo Buster! Thousand Spear! Elec Storm! Swallow Cutter!"

"Gruh! This guy wasn't kidding, alright."

"Heh, heh, heh. Can you hear that, you damned defective Virus freak? It signals your end!" Freeze Man taunted Zero.

"Yeah, yeah. But during this interval my electrical attacks lowered your HP values to 1570. I've got 730 HP value myself." Zero calmly shot back while still using his electrical sword.

"Twilight! If things go awry then just pull back and bid your time… Drop by from time to time and bring me news!" Anaya commanded.

"Oi! Don't hijack my radio!"

"Too bad Charleston!"

"Hmpf." Izono could be heard on the background.

"Whatever. We've left an imprint which won't be easily forgotten and you can't cover this up!" Opoulos taunted.

"Who said we wanted to cover this up? You still carry a lot of FBI paranoia in you, Opoulos." General Hawk announced.

"Hawk! You always struck me as a vulture wanting to eat a zebra!"

"I'm not surprised."

"By the way…. Where's the neophyte?" Shadow Man asked.

"Jeez. You mean the novice." Miyabi grumbled.

"What novice…? Oh heck. True! Where are Nelaus and Isaac? I sent them to Chicago to unveil "Mr. X." and they haven't contacted me yet: was that a trap you morons staged or what?"

"No." Vadous merely replied.

"Boss. This is Lartes… I just got a message from Detective Misaki. Nelaus showed up on the Net Police HQ and officially surrendered."

"WHAT?" Anaya uttered in disbelief.

"He says he's got a message for Anaya: Xavier Rainon confirmed his and Isaac's growing suspicions."

"XAVIER RAINON! MY GODFATHER! THE JERK!"

"G-godfather? Anaya – san has a godfather?" Izono gasped.

"I'd forgotten about the guy! A guy who never had any luck in trying to marry… A powerful CEO… A buddy of Mother from the college…! And now I remember I once off-handedly told the guy about Kranos!"

"_Skatá_!" Opoulos cursed in Greek.

"Damn it! What went wrong? What's this about "growing suspicions"? We made sure not to leave any data around and to make no mention of anything specific!" Twilight cursed.

"I don't understand it either!" Freeze Man grumbled.

"You must've improvised the tale and didn't play the thing with enough conviction… And I'm sure that chat with Millionaire made him suspect there was something in the air, something you were stubbornly skipping, and he surely thought you were playing him for a slow-witted guy who would simply obey and that's it. But trying to simplify everything saying the opponents were "just Net Police" must've been part of it."

"Che! Vadous! You damned smart-mouth!"

"Hey. I didn't have anything to do with it. He must've had some instinct which told him he was part of some conspiracy and, concerned over his future, wanted to know with exactly whom he was dealing. I know he picked my report on Twilight from a backup Net Police server but it was intended to be an overall thing with no specifics… Save for the list of crimes he could be judged of… "Pointless torture" had to be amongst them and he must've wanted to know why you tortured people when you didn't want any info out of them." Vadous guessed.

"_Merde alons_!" Twilight cursed in French.

"Truth to be told I'd already met Mr. Rainon because he'd approach me with info about Opoulos and I became an informant… As godfather to Anaya he surely wanted to avoid the younger generation ending up becoming accomplices to her so he called him out taking profit that you were more worried about this whole show. And he must've told him what you did and what plans you had for him: the same Twilight had for Forte, Shirakami and Kuroshiro Oriol…" Zero admitted.

He'd now switched to a burning sword and continuing the fight with Freeze Man who was still putting up a lot of fight too and none of them seemed to be particularly weakened.

"_CHIKSHOU~_!" Anaya yelled aloud.

"… "Damn i~t!"… No wonder." Zero muttered.

"Huff, huff… I'm tiring of this stupid battle! You get lost: I'll go decimate that damned interloper out there! Play with this guy, Freezer!"

"_Fu~ri~zaa~_!"

"Damn."

A "Freezer" formed on the spot and immediately shot the "Freezing Beam" at Zero which froze most of his body: Zero grumbled and managed to ram a wall to break it before it could further solidify: the "Freezer" flew into the air and Zero ran towards it while forming a zigzag pattern.

"Eat medicine and go nap at the Twin Islands once again."

"… Eat this! And this! And this too!" Freeze Man's voice rang out on the corridor.

"Hit them hard, Freeze Man!" Twilight rallied.

"Grah!"

"Freeze and die off as a mere John Doe!"

"Vicious Fire! Double Thunder!"

Zero rushed out into the corridor to see Freeze Man hitting Vadous with the hilt of the Diamond Blade and pushing him to the ground but Vadous formed the purplish fires which leapt into his body followed by intercrossing his twin swords and shooting a blast of electricity at Freeze Man: he roared and stepped back.

"Damn it! I've only got 240 HP left! But I can still fight!"

"Step back, Zero… I can handle this…" Vadous told him as he managed to get to his feet.

"DIE! Diamond Blade! Hra~h!"

"Eat blades! And return to your maker!"

Vadous was quicker and ducked to then aim his swords up and drive them through Freeze Man's emblem: he dropped the Diamond Blade and gasped but then formed a grin.

"I shall become one with Twilight – sama… And live on!"

He laughed as he too broke down into data which Twilight absorbed: his body began to glow with a menacing silver glow which was getting brighter: Vadous had to shield his eyes and Zero began to run towards the guy as if wanting to halt him.

"So long!"

His body vanished and left the armor (hollowed) behind: it released an incredibly brutal sphere of energy which began to expand…


	40. Chapter 40: Conclusion

**Chapter 40: Conclusion**

13:33 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday August the 5th…

"… So… You're going to be OK, Hikari?"

"Yeah… I didn't break anything and some rest without too much exercise will allow for my bones' pain to fade… And you can call me Netto like everyone else… Nelaus."

"Well… But I think this would be more formal…"

"OK. I won't force you… Still it surprised me… That you showed up on the Net Police HQ to surrender…"

"Weren't you expecting me to do that?"

"I was. I thought that there was something in you which was starting to question what you'd been told… Right, Isaac?"

"Yeah. You could say the encounter at the Electel Mansion somehow set the seeds of doubt on us…"

Netto was resting on his house's bed while dressed up and looked in a good mood as Nelaus, Saito and Isaac (inside of the PET) surrounded him by sitting in the chairs: the balcony was open and the shutter lifted to allow light to come in.

"But, really… Twilight left that whole corridor razed and Vadous – san barely made it out alive because Zero acted as shield for the energy expansion… The structural integrity wasn't affected… The irony is that despite happening in a TV Station the staff could only provide CCTV footage for the time being before every fighter's recorded footage is examined by the Net Police to eliminate any references to actual names for safety reason and then handed over to them… It's become headlines across the world. Some media have already labeled it "DNN Densan Battle" even!" Saito explained.

"So the guy was that strong, huh… And he seemingly built up energy on the armor and released it using the armor mass to cause further damage as well…" Isaac muttered.

"I always thought the guy was up to something given hi sneering and smug smiles but like he was holding it back." Nelaus rolled his eyes.

"He surely was impatient to try to "train" you in "that"…" Netto muttered with a sigh.

"So… What kind of person is he? Mr. Rainon, I mean."

"Oh. Very kind. In fact… He's talked with the Net Police to provide me a cover story… He'll be posing as my uncle!"

"Whoa!" Netto whistled in surprise.

"And he'd already found a nice house just 10 minutes' walk from here: we've moved there and he's provided most of the furniture and electro domestics… The Net Police has been holding debriefing sessions with us ever since Sunday… They stormed the island base and copied all data on their servers to locate the "clients"…" Isaac let out next.

"And you also apologized to Iris, I heard?" Saito asked.

"Yeah… But not like she held any grudges… Given how the only thing I did was to pull some puns Twilight had written down… But she gave that look of "you're wasting your time" so I gave up after 5 minutes. She could be a schoolteacher even and any student who wasn't behaving would tremble when seeing her face…" Nelaus chuckled.

"No wonder… Mariko – sensei could make scary faces when she was annoyed… Back when I mistook her for Yuriko…"

"Once they finish our debriefings they want to have us undergo an exam to test our battle abilities… And they'll surely name us "Net Saviors" as well… So we'd be on the same boat."

"That's not a bad comparison."

"So… Eh… Saito. You said you weren't just a Net Navi, right?"

"Yeah. I was originally a human: I had to become Rock Man to survive and, now, thanks to this "cyborg body", I can become human when I want to."

"Wow. Oh! That's right. Do you know who "Octopus – han" is or was?"

"True! I was on Jade's room when Swallow Man tried to figure out their location…" Nelaus admitted.

"You're looking at THEM." Netto grinned.

"Sure."

"E~H!" Both gasped in surprise.

"Heh, heh, heh! Surprised?" Netto chuckled.

"We were onboard the HQ on that day and we took turns to write down the replies. Opoulos surely wasn't paying attention or he'd found it odd that sometimes the speech was more straight and less polished and other times it wouldn't so "cool" but more like "mannered"… My speech quirks got the best of me…" Saito blushed and scratched the back of his head as he explained it.

"Cool!"

"By the way… Did you lift Sigma's punishment?" Isaac asked.

"Yesterday. He did learn the lesson. He won't toy with something beyond his understanding anymore." Netto rolled his eyes.

"He's a nice guy but he tends to get annoying with his obsession of puns and jokes… He doesn't understand that some persons don't have enough patience to bear with so many of them…" Saito sighed.

"I've also been meeting my future classmates… Hikawa looked like a nice guy, Sakurai struck me as a nice person too, Ooyama was bragging too much and Ayanokouji tried to pull a joke on me saying "cha are the guy who was dating my Kansai cousin"… I don't see the point of that joke to begin with, really… She seems to be fond of teasing people…"

"Yaito – chan…! When I introduced her to Saito – niisan she asked if he was my cousin from Kansai too… Does she have some prejudice with Kansai or some mania? I dunno." Netto complained.

"I dunno too." Isaac admitted.

"Guess it's a joke she invented herself…"

13:31 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Alright! Dekao!"

"Yeah, Yaito – chan?"

"Who is the Boss of Galactic Gang?"

"Sakaki?"

"Close!"

"Eh… Wait a min… Huh… Matsubusa!"

"Nope."

"Aogiri!"

"Not yet!"

"Huh… Saturn?"

"That's an "Admin", see~…"

"Huh… Macaroni?"

"Macaroni! Now that would be a good name for the Gen V "evil gang" Boss when they release it! Tee, heh, heh!"

"Man."

"Guts, guts?"

"Jeez. Yaito – sama…!"

Yaito had seemingly called Dekao to her mansion's tree-house to check on his knowledge of _Pocket Monsters_: he began to say names but he seemingly didn't remember the correct one and came up with "Macaroni" which made Yaito laugh: Guts Man sounded confused and Glyde was exasperated: Dekao sighed in defeat.

"Macaroni! Make THE macaroni PKMN! Makamen! Ground & Earth Type: evolves into Supaageta! Tee, heh, heh!"

"Yaito – chan…"

"Yo! Meiru – chan. Welcome to the party, my dear."

"You sound weird today."

"No wonder!"

"What does she mean by "no wonder", Glyde?"

"I'd like to know that myself, Roll – san!"

"Guts, guts. Roll – chan came!"

"Oho! Meiru – chan! Welcome!"

"Hello there."

"Tooru – kun! Invent Toreun! The Taurus PKMN!"

"We already have "Kentauros", Yaito – chan!"

"True! Desu!"

Meiru and Tooru came in: Yaito kept on being in a good mood or more likely in the mood to pull jokes which Meiru found weird and Tooru silly given her "suggestions".

"Alright! Dekao! The right answer is "Akagi"!"

"A~h! I knew I was close!" Dekao slapped his forehead.

"Guts, guts. Can Akagi be eaten, de guts?"

"No. Akagi is a person!" Roll sighed.

"Guts Man can't realize that?" Ice Man sighed as well.

"Oh boy…" Glyde muttered.

"Mwah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah. The Black Demon's come!"

"Sigma! I heard cha had success with the game."

"Success? Oh no! That was an accident 'cause I messed it up."

Sigma appeared in the Cyber World and Yaito greeted him with a grin but he sighed and looked somewhat nervous at the topic being brought up.

"Did you call for me, Roll – san?"

"Huh? Blood – kun! Well, I didn't. I guess Yaito – chan's to blame."

"Ayanokouji – san. What are you up to today, Miss?"

"Maybe I wanted to introduce to you to my Kansai cousin."

"We know you don't have one." Meiru rolled her eyes.

"Why Kansai?" Dekao asked.

"I don't know." Tooru admitted.

"Ayanokouji. Where's the industrial spy? Huh? Blood and Sigma?"

"Commander Omega, sir. I'm afraid you have been trolled by Ayanokouji – san over there, sir." Blood Shadow sighed.

"I'm afraid so too, sir."

"Oh come on!"

Omega had rushed in and looked ready for battle but he groaned when he got told he'd been trolled.

"De masu! Number Man's come to the rescue!"

"Jeez. I've come to check."

Number Man had come in and although Higure wanted to play "savior" Number Man was skeptical.

"No need to. It's a troll." Roll replied.

"E~H! DE MASU!"

"I knew it."

"Pyrururu! Ice Man! Did you meet a Water Lion, pyu?"

"No, desu. It's a joke by Glyde's Operator. Desu."

"Ayanokouji – san's joke…?" Shuuko wondered.

"Not "joke": evil, blessed and repellent bait! Set up by me: Yaito – chan!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Welcome to Arcane Rituals, the show which will beat National Geographic History Channel! Sponsored By Shadow Man: He Who Lives In Thou Shadow."

"SHADOW MAN!"

Shadow Man had suddenly formed out of Glyde's shadow and was making a stupid announcement which Miyabi didn't like.

"Shah, shah, shah! They told me they'd sighted a Dream Virus here and Prism Man sent me to check! Where's the ugly guy at?"

"… I think we've gotten trolled."

"Really?"

"… Talk about a waste of time."

Needle Man rushed in and Yuriko guessed what was going on: Misaki was surprised and Prism Man sighed.

"What do you plan on achieving by gathering everyone here?" Blood Shadow asked Yaito.

"To see if my bait is powerful enough or not to catch some Macaroni in the Safari Zone~…" She giggled.

"It's a PKMN she made up on the spot." Roll whispered.

"How lame." Sigma didn't find it funny, for once.

"Totally." Blood Shadow slapped his forehead.

"Please… It sounds stupider than Dragon's pop art and banners."

"Thunder Man and Raoul The Thunder to the lightning fast rescue~!"

"Stop making up silly slogans, Raoul. And we got trolled."

"_OH NO_!"

"Tee, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh. My bait is superb." Yaito giggled.

"You'll overload your own network at this rate!" Omega told her.

"Then… Those who want to miss the rest go back!"

Everyone save for Roll, Glyde and Ice Man left by warping out and Yaito kept on looking pretty amused.

"By the way, Tooru – kun, are you still playing 3 VS 3?"

"… And what if?" Tooru seemed to guess she meant something else.

"Dunno!"

"Hmmm…!" Meiru looked suspicious.

"Meiru – chan: don't look at me like I bring trouble along."

"No. This guy brings trouble along." She signaled Dekao.

"E~H?"

"Chu! There you are! Niichan! What mess have you started today? Chu!"

Chisao came into the tree-house next and looked suspicious.

"Well…" He trailed off.

"I started it up." Yaito confessed.

"No wonder! Chu!" He wasn't impressed.

"Shark Man's surfaced! Together with the scent of tuna and beef! Beef!"

"Commander Beef: that slogan is pointless."

"So? Where's the tragedy?"

"Huh… Doesn't look like one…"

"Then why did they call us and tell us to rush over here?"

"I think it's some kind of joke."

Shark Man, Skull Man and Wood Man came in along their Operator's "alter-ego" screens: everyone was already fed up with the joke save for Yaito whose mood only seemed to get better.

"Go home!" Roll snapped at them.

"This was a troll and we're sorry for the inconvenience!"

"Yo! Glyde! Become Shirona's butler!"

"Shirona? The Sinnoh Champion? Oh come on." Meiru complained.

"I've come to help!"

"I'm faster than lightning!"

"You got trolled, sadly enough."

Hayami Daisuke opened his window as Quick Man rushed into the system only to be told what was going by Roll: both sighed and left while Roll was pretty annoyed by now.

"Huff. Now the "WWW Team" is coming over?"

"Fire Man! Save the Miss!"

"Roger, Hinoken – sama!"

"_Go_, Elec Man! _Protect_!"

"Here I come!"

"Just be careful with your attacks, Colored Man."

"Don't worry, Madoi~…"

"Magic Man! You must be careful! The opponent is a Dream Virus!"

"I understand, Maha Jarama – sama."

In effect: the "WWW Team" showed up but one look at Glyde's, Roll's and Ice Man's annoyed faces (Guts Man not being able to put a convincing face) told them what was going so they quickly headed back.

"Hi there! Dave came to rescue Betty!"

"Jeez! Charles. Stop with the jokes. Huh? What's with those faces?"

"You – got – trolled!" Roll annoyingly told him.

"Lovely. I knew something bad was about to happen."

"Didn't you?"

Charles had dispatched Davis there too but they got told what was going on like with the others before them.

"And we'd held a Council meeting yesterday to finally shake off the worst of the gloomy mood of before… We know Twilight's still loose but he'll be forced to stay low for some time…" Charles muttered.

"Next time check things twice." Davis scolded.

"Hum! I've sent this normal Navi I had ready… Where's the trouble?"

"Unit ready to battle…"

"Dr. Wily? You got trolled."

"Trolled?"

"They pulled a prank on you."

"And I fell for it? Today isn't my best day then…"

A normal Navi rushed in and it turned out Dr. Wily was controlling it: he didn't seem to know what "trolling" was so Davis explained it to him: he rolled his eyes.

"At least Regal is trying to be helpful now and says that he doesn't expect a full pardon ever but at least some recognition that he's trying to contribute…" Wily muttered.

"As long as it keeps up…" Charles shrugged.

"Commander Alamantz was actually amused at what happened with the VR Room… The others did find it dire but… I dunno. I think he's too much of a fan and only was content to see it was getting some recognition to begin with…" Davis sighed.

"Tee, heh, heh. My bait is a great success!"

"Oh boy." The other three muttered.

"And things will get funny with the new guy who will join our class!"

14:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So, Past… Have you finished the paperwork?"

"Yes, Priest – sama…"

"Good enough… Remember to use that dummy Navi I sent you and leave your real Navi here, in your flat… He's autonomous enough to manage on his own so…"

"I understand."

"Mgrow, wroh, wroh, wroh! Some burning excitement!"

"I know. But keep a low profile. It could take several months before our "organization" rises to full size… You'll be acting overseas and using a camouflage system… Leave no evidence behind."

"Roger, Priest –sama."

The guy known as "Past" was standing in the balcony of his apartment and speaking through a PET: the unidentified Navi was also making some guttural chuckle-like sounds: they were facing the city.

"I'm still surprised at what happened on Saturday… Do we have any confirmation of what happened with that Twilight guy?"

"Whereabouts: unknown. But he's still alive: he only shed the armor like a snake would shed its skin and fled taking profit of the explosion. He'll most likely show up in Louisiana from time to time to speak with Anaya Maria or get new orders and ideas." "Past" described.

"I see. And if we assume he's going to act just like the previous autumn and winter then… He'll go overseas and keep a low profile until he finds a good moment to rise again… His power must've been increased with the absorption of his 5 subordinates which he could calmly rebuild anytime as well… He seems to want to create a never-ending-cycle of violence and chaos… That damned fool…" "Priest" guessed aloud.

"Che. I'd like to smash the guy with my big fists!"

"Cool it, _aibou_. Rushing it will only lead to trouble and defeat!"

"I know, Past! I'm just saying how I feel like."

"It's good to be honest with each other but don't start fighting either, you two." "Priest" warned them.

"Not like we intended to, Priest – sama." "Past" calmly replied.

"Good. Try to appeal as a simple guy who isn't anything special: given the composition of the "Group A" then…"

"The "Group B" I will be joining will be rather overshadowed and ignored altogether…"

"By the way: I should tell you about something… I've found a potential candidate to become a new member but I have yet to approach them: if they accept then I'll grant them a codename and a Navi customized as per their desires… Just like you… But if you were to meet you'll do it with the helmet bikes on for safety: I want to compartmentalize information to prevent leaks." "Priest" described.

"Not like we have to become a very wide group, though…"

"True. But just the 2 of us won't do. Maybe… Hmmm… A max of 6 or 7 would do… Highly skilled operatives… It'll work."

"So I'd get a pal to chat with? Wroh, hoh, hoh, hoh." The Navi made that guttural laughing sound again.

"Well. That's all I wanted to tell you: remember to only use this line when you need to report something important."

"Roger, sir."

"Count on us, Priest – sama!"

"Excellent. See you around, you two."

The call ended and "Past" seemed to chuckle under his breath before placing the PET on the arm-strap: given how the balcony curtain had been wavering in front of the open balcony then only their back was visible.

"Thanks to Priest – sama… My life can begin anew… Glory to His Grace!"

06:57 AM (Iceland Time)…

"… Really… _MGS4_ was TOO COOL!"

"Yeah, Justin. You're right."

"You're a pair of bad boys… Always waking up so early…"

"Whoa! Jasmine! Please knock before entering!"

"We've always respected your privacy!"

"Tee, heh, heh. I look too horny with just this one-piece bathing suit on today? And you guys are still on your boxers and socks 'cause you're slow when it comes to dressing."

"Do you shower with that on?"

"Sometimes."

"I'd rather not go into details."

"Ah… Sharp! Aren't cha?"

George and Justin (having only their boxers and socks on) had been chatting inside of what obviously were their own quarters in the "Cypher" HQ when Jasmine (sporting a black one-piece swimming suit) came in while giggling.

The room contained a pair of beds, a sofa and a PS3 connected to an LCD TV set on the wall: a door nearby led to a bathroom.

"And you're one to talk, Jasmine! You also wake up early! Heck: it's just 7AM and it is 16 PM in Japan…" George argued back.

"We guys also have the right to some privacy! Or has Captain Mary Troniat been telling you her jokes? Oi! Wait! You're not planning on turning into _dominatrix_ play-mates, right?" Justin looked rather suspicious and seemed to suspect what she was up to.

"Of course not! Captain Troniat quit that on the college although she likes to tease Lieutenant Ann Marylitu and Marshal Jessica Frendan with those jokes too."

"Ah! Phew."

"But!"

"What now?"

"There's a rumor floating in the air…"

"Started by Ms. Captain?" George rolled his eyes.

"And shot down by Ms. Lieutenant and Ms. Marshal?" Justin seemed to guess what came next.

"_Platinum_ will have a Battle Frontier like in _Emerald_!"

"Ah! If it's that…" Both muttered back.

"Tee, heh, heh. Remember! 2nd half of September! Not that far away from now!" She teased.

"_Hai_~…" Both sighed.

"I'll leave you to play… something."

She giggled and shut the door: both looked at each other without being too surprised.

"How many times do we have to tell her? We're not a _yaoi _duo." Justin complained.

"A trillion, I guess." George grimly muttered back.

"Let's get dressed and go have breakfast: some VR training will help us keep in shape…" Justin suggested.

They dressed up in the same clothes they'd had when the Japan Internet City Admin Building infiltration day and put on their sunglasses once they'd finished arranging their beds: they came out and found Jasmine already dressed and waiting on the corridor while interacting with a cell-phone and apparently writing an SMS message.

"Tee, heh, heh. Let's go: I got told there's treasure in the VR Room!"

"Oh boy…"

16:32 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So dragons existed a long, long time ago?"

"Correct, Honorable Trill."

"Yay! And they breathed out flames?"

"Correct."

"And those fragments in the case are a figure of one?"

"Exactly."

"Trill! Are you there? Oh! I'm sorry, Dragon – san. Was I interrupting something important?"

"No, Honorable Lady Iris. The Honorable Trill wanted to know more about dragons and the Humble Disciple of Confucius told His Grace."

"Eh… Ah… T-thank you."

"Yay! Oneechan! Dragon – san knows a lot!"

"Is t-that so? Eh… Well… Your TV series is about to begin, Trill."

"Yay! TV Series! See ya, Dragon – san!"

"Be careful, Honorable Trill."

Trill had been talking with Dragon Hell in the kitchen and looked excited at the replies Dragon Hell made to his questions: Iris came in looking for him and looked somewhat nervous as if she wasn't sure how to reply to him before she reminded Trill about the TV series and he ran out: Iris followed him out.

"Go with Grace."

"Ah… Thank you."

"Oi! Dragon! We need to talk, ya know!"

"About your WEIRD recipes!"

"The Honorable _Ninja_ have something to tell the Disciple of…?"

"Save the rest for another day!"

"We know what comes next!"

Iris came out as Daratsu and Kuro Kaze came in to complain to Dragon Hell and he calmly greeted them with a reverence.

"Can't you make something EATABLE?" Daratsu protested.

"We're starting to be fed up!" Kuro Kaze added.

"You've had YEARS to improve but you don't!" Kir Osh added.

"At this rate we'll end up with stomach diseases!" Dr. Lartes fumed.

"So! Dragon! Wanting to know the extent of OUR anger provided by the Anger God?"

Vadous came in too and he wasn't in the best of moods: Dragon Hell got nervous when he saw his face and seemed to be at a loss for words: the 5 of them came out while fuming and he gulped.

"I don't eat but I'd rather do as they say."

Zero came in next and loomed over the guy who nervously nodded to show he understood and he came out to join the others in the corridor next.

"By the way, I found that Sigma has uploaded a virtual Michelangelo which flies across the air and then looms over the enemy soldiers to scare them off and have them run."

"Huff. As long as he leaves the real one unharmed…"

"I met Mr. Rainon and he confirmed the Net Police agree with his suggestions… He's a man on his late 40s with brownish hair and irises put without beard or moustache…"

"I see. Could you give me his number and we'd stay in contact with each other when we need to exchange ideas?" Vadous requested.

"Sure. I'll send you an email later: I'm off to checking things over at the Science Labs to make sure there aren't any problems. Later!"

16:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Good afternoon. Hikari – hakase."

"Ah! Zero. Is everything alright?"

"Apart from some gigantic troll Ayanokouji made to lure all possible Navis to her house… Then I'd say yeah."

"Yaito – chan has this weird humor…"

"Meijin – chan! You've got a package!"

"Enrou! _Chan wa iranai_!"

"Heh, heh, heh. It's a salad and it's sent by your ex!"

"By Makoto – kun? She must believe I'm gaining weight."

Zero had come to talk with Yuuichirou and he heard someone joke with Meijin in the background: it turned out Mejin had received a package which was a salad.

"I'd rather say I'm the losing weight." Yuuichirou sighed.

"I think you haven't been home for some days."

"You're totally right. Man. I went to the hospital the other day because I heard Netto got hurt but thankfully it didn't end up in disgrace: it could've been way worse."

"… Meijin – chan's ex is going to date him again!"

"WHOA!" A chorus of awed voice rang out close by.

"WRONG! Enrou! Stop fueling up speculation!"

"Meijin has an ex? I thought he was too shy to go out with a girl!"

"Oi! Enrou! Are you sure you're not making this up?"

"I ain't! Aoki Makoto – sama's the name: _check it out_!"

"OI! Stop right there! Enrou's trolling you guys! Besides, we need to finish the new contents manager before this month is over!"

"Oh yeah! Enrou! How much time have you spent working on the contents manager, anyway?"

"I think you've been wasting your time in Twitter instead!"

"Or in Facebook!"

"Lovely." Yuuichirou sighed.

"Why doesn't someone screen those guys?"

"Laziness, I'd rather say. Do you have any other news?"

"Well. Dr. Spimer and the "Council of Armies" have started to run searches in Brazil and other countries regarding Twilight but he could come up with a disguise like he did 3 years ago…"

"Huff. Alright. Save up the gloomy things for another day: today I just want to go home and try to disconnect during the evening. I'm glad they met this new friend: Nelaus – kun looks like a nice young man who could become an excellent classmate."

"I heard the B Class will also get a new guy so maybe this year they will interact more with them too…"

"Good. Meijin! I'm going back already."

"Excellent, Hikari – hakase, sir. You've been pushing yourself for 10 days already, sir. You need a break, sir." Meijin came in and smiled.

"You're right. Good luck handling those guys."

"Maybe I can help with a hologram of some monster…" Zero offered with a hint of amusement.

"Good! Lend me a hand to keep Enrou on check: he needs to be reminded he's here to work and not to stir up chaos." Meijin grinned.

Yuuichirou came out while Meijin headed into the corridor outside of the main meeting room and bought a bottle of cold water: he drank some and sighed in relief while rubbing his chin.

"Heh, heh, heh. Enrou! You'll regret messing with THE Meijin! Heh, heh!"

17:22 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Well! I'm home."

"Oh! Yuuichirou – san! It's been too long."

"I know… How's Netto?"

"Better, thankfully enough. But he still can't do much force or strength with the arms so Saito helps him out…"

"Don't worry, Haruka. He'll surely get back to full form in a few more days, knowing him."

"Hey! Papa! Welcome back!"

"We missed you!"

"Yeah, I know… I forget the passage of days when I hole up on my lab and have to work for hours and hours on something…"

Yuuichirou got back home and got a hug from Haruka: they began to talk and Haruka sighed although Yuuichirou tried to improve her mood: Netto and Saito ran down from upstairs (Netto keeping his arms parallel to the body and trying not to move them) to meet with him: Yuuichirou made a weak chuckle.

"You should talk with Nelaus and check on Isaac: you'll run up the walls trying to see how his code is filled with dormant abilities which slowly wake up and can be improved upon." Netto grinned.

"He's a cool guy." Saito giggled.

"Sure… Maybe one of these days before the course kicks off… 3rd of middle school already! The years sure fly by…!"

"Hey. But that doesn't mean we're changing or anything! We're still the same type of guys!" Netto argued back.

"Netto – kun has a point. And I know it's silly but I've gotten stuck on this calling manner and there's no way I can shake it off."

"Well! You're still a Navi after all, Saito – niisan. It's no wonder."

"Today I'll prepare some _pesto spaghetti_." Haruka teased with a smile as she showed them a pot with the sauce.

"Whoa! Yummy!" Netto looked impatient already.

"Netto – kun. Contain. It's not even half past five yet." Saito sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry. I just got excited. Excitement Guy dropped by and then lifted off again using the famous rocket in the Tokusane Space Center: the Emerald makeover made it look cooler!"

"Jeez. I knew that. Maybe we need to figure out which is the missing legendary PKMN at the end of the Sinnoh Pokémon Encyclopedia. We got told about Shaymin back in February and two months ago we learnt about its Sky Forme…" Saito sighed.

"We'll soon see if Nelaus beats Yaito – chan to Math!"

"He'll beat you _for sure_. I've got that hunch even though your Math scores have been increasing in recent times, Netto – kun."

"Now that I think of it, what were Enzan and Laika doing today?"

"Blues mailed me: he and Search Man had a friendly match and Laika used the chance to pull some Sharo puns on Enzan which he didn't find funny to begin with: Blues was calm and Search Man failed to see the point."

"Heh, heh, heh! No wonder! They're like matter and antimatter!"

"They're very energetic, eh, Yuuichirou – san?"

"Of course. Netto has always been the hyperactive type to begin with but Saito tends to keep it cool and leveled."

"OK! Let this famed 3rd year come: we'll tackle it and end up winning! I've got that hunch myself. Guess I'm somewhat of a prophet!"

"Correct, Netto – kun! Our bond makes us grow stronger!"

The group laughed in a cherry way and they hugged together…

**THE END**


End file.
